The Return Of The Hero Of Konoha
by Varrukh
Summary: Naruto saves Ino and her team from certain death, but it has been so long since Ino and all her friends have seen The Hero Of Konoha, how will they all react whenn they suddenly have their friend back? Naruto x Ino only, possibly with other pairings
1. Chapter 1 A Hero Appears

She was running on pure adrenaline now. She was fast approaching the stage of giving up on her fight for her very survival as she began to feel her body grow tired and worn out. She was currently standing staring at her opponent at that one moment and time, her breathing was coming in heavy and inconsistent breaths. She was standing within a crater no larger than herself that had been created when a great force was applied to her body that she had somehow managed to fend off, but that had come at the cost of the last of her chakra and just now she was only running on enough chakra to keep her alive. In short she was fucked.

On both sides of her were the three that would be her team, they were all barely just out of the academy and were on their first C-Ranked mission, what a catastrophe of a mission it had turned out to be. It reminded her of one she had heard about in her past, where a simple C-Rank turned into an A-Rank. Coming out of her momentary reverie she looked over the one who had caused so many problems for her and her team.

The man opposite them was a rogue ninja from the village hidden in the clouds. They were a tall man of maybe 6ft or so and were also fairly muscly too. His head was adorned with short green hair that had a golden zig-zag running down the centre of his head. His eyes were what were causing her and her team the problem however. How the man had come to procure the eyes was a mystery even to her but she knew that there was no good reason that the man currently had them. He had the Sharingan, the eye jutsu that should have been wiped out except from a few extenuating circumstances.

Behind her, her team were all taking in their rugged breaths too. She spared a glance at the three of them in order to assess how well they were all doing, sadly they were not faring that very well. Her team consisted of three girls surprisingly enough, although it may have seemed strange at the time of placement, to their sensei and the Hokage, the team made perfect sense.

There was Hiku Hyuga, she was a very outspoken girl who although might not be sure of her physical abilities was sure of her gift of the gab. She wore clothes that resembled the attire that Hinata Hyuga used to wear with the only difference being that her jacket was black instead of the same grey as Hinata's. One thing that separated her from her clan the most probably was the fact that her hair was not the black hair of most Hyuga's, instead her hair was blonde, very bright blonde. She was somewhat of an anomaly within her own clan, she was at least lucky that the head of the main branch was on her side.

There was also Noma Vydia, she was a very shy girl that would be the almost exact duplicate of Hinata in her early days. Noma despite being of only twelve years of age was already viewed by those that knew her as beautiful. She had long purple hair that was tied into a high ponytail, her eyes were a beautiful indigo colour too, to match her hair. Her clothing consists of black Shinobi pants and battle sandals she had on a white t-shirt that was covered over by a grey jacket. She was currently bent over with her hands on her knees breathing heavily while trying to keep her eyes on her enemy.

Last but by no means least, was Kyoki Yuuhi, the daughter of the late Asuma Sarutobi and Kerenai Yuuhi. She had her parents deep black hair and her mother's deep red eyes. She wore clothes that looked much like the ones her mother used to wear but these were instead of white and red attire, the colours were different and were black and green, really giving her an outfit that defined her perfectly. She like both of her teammates was tired but was currently just behind her sensei's leg, at her sensei's instruction of course, otherwise she would have been standing side by side with her.

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><p>"It would appear that you Konoha-nin have gotten to use to the Sharingan being used to help you that when it is finally used against you, there is no way you have to combat it" the man before them spoke in no real definitive tone at all, he just simply spoke to them pointing out the information they already knew.<p>

"We haven't been used to the Sharingan being on our side, there are no Sharingan users left in Konoha besides Kakashi-sensei and it can't be passed on genetically from him" Hiku answered the man before them, his attention turned to her and he noticed that she had the pale eyes of the Hyuga. He felt a grin spreading across his face as he stared into those spare expanses of silver; Hiku swore that she saw the tomoe in his Sharingan spinning wildly before stooping in place again.

"Is that so? Then I guess the Sharingan is almost a dead Kekkei Genkai almost then isn't it?" the man asked rhetorically as he indicated to his pair of eyes with a smile. Noma lifted herself up from her knees and looked across to the man who was opposite them. On closer inspection she looked to the clothes that the man wore but was stopped when she noticed the clothing he was in fact wearing. Billowing in the wind was a symbol that was thought to have long since lost its meaning, ever since the Fourth Shinobi War that symbol and what it represented had been lost.

"Akatsuki" Noma breathed fearfully as she took in the man's attire, it was indeed the Akatsuki cloak that the man wore. The black cloak with the red clouds adorned all over. This man now wore the clothing that signified him as a dangerous enemy ninja but there were two circumstances in which the man was wearing these clothes for. First of all was that Akatsuki was reforming and he was part of the elite calibre of Shinobi that were drafted by the Akatsuki. The second possibility was simply that he had procured the cloak from somewhere and wished to take the image that the Akatsuki had left in order to gain himself a name. to all extents and purposes it had done what he had wanted, he was called 'The Red Dawn' simply on account of the red clouds across the black cloak.

"You are correct little girl, I am Akatsuki, I possess the Sharingan, am one of the elite Shinobi of Akatsuki and have managed to beat you all back without the use of my Sharingan, if you give up now and become my slaves then your lives will not be forfeit" the man said with the tiniest hints of enjoyment within his words. All of the girls noticeably grimaced at the very thought of handing themselves over to the vile man that claimed to be part of the elite criminal organization, but what other choice did they have? The three girls looked at each other, they were out of chakra and ultimately out of luck. Resigning themselves to their fate they began to move off only to be stopped by the outstretched arm of their sensei.

"Do not listen to his misleading words!" she hissed to them as she turned to them. Oceanic blue eyes looked to them through a disgusted scowl, one eye was hidden behind the long blonde bang but they could still feel its piercing glare upon them. The girls were all dumbstruck on what their next move should be and were only capable of standing still, even their sensei was out of chakra and if she was then they had not many other options.

"Ino-sensei, we are all out of chakra, what other options do we have? We will die otherwise" came the voice of Kyoki, the shakiest that Ino had ever heard it, that instantly struck a chord within the woman and she turned away from them.

"Run" Ino said to them as she stared at the enemy before her. Her entire squad stood still dumbfounded after the word spoken to them. They could not deny it was an order but such an order was ludicrous, to leave a comrade in battle was most unfitting of a Shinobi of the Leaf Village. Ino suddenly turned on them and with her face contorted in almost evident fear she screamed at them. "RUN!" she screamed at the top of her voice as the three girls took a step back at the abruptness of Ino's movement.

"There would be no point in doing that my dears, even if you three were to run, I could easily overpower your sensei and then capture you three, if you simply kneel down right now we need not go through much hassle" the man said as suddenly he was right in between all of them. Ino was not ready for such a hasty movement on the man's part and was sloppy to react in short. She turned around quickly to find that Kyoki was standing with the man directly behind her, his arm around her neck a little too tightly. The other two girls were lying on the ground away from the pair, clearly shot out of the area. His gaze moved from Ino to the girl in his hold and Ino shuddered when she saw the man's tongue come out of his mouth and lick his lips.

"A little under-developed but given enough time I can see you becoming a very well-endowed lady, if you catch my drift?" the man said with a lecherous grin as he brought his attention back up to the blonde haired woman before him. He could see the hatred and anger brimming up within her eyes, but that was also accompanied by the sheer hopelessness that she was feeling right now. She simply could not do anything at all to save her student, couldn't do anything to alleviate the terror the girl was going through.

"Do not ever doubt the power of Akatsuki those who were part of the group before I were weak minded fools who did not know what power they could have but I know, I know the power I can control. With my influence I can control the world through the fear of the people! That is what the aim of Akatsuki should have been! World domination!" the man finished as he looked to the sky, almost as if anticipating something climactic to happen.

"Let go of my student now you sick fuck" Ino ground out as she made to move towards her student and the pervert that wanted to hold her. The man smiled at the way in which Ino had talked to him and also the fact that a woman with little chakra left thought she command him. A woman thought they could command a man, him. How ludicrous this idea was that he burst out laughing.

"You honestly believe that you can command me to do anything woman? You serve one purpose in life and one only, that is to tend to the needs of men" the man shot back at her as his boisterous laughter permeated through the air at her current predicament. Ino felt the sting to her pride in the manner in which the Shinobi spoke of women but did not allow it to bother her as she knew she had one last bet to take on the arsehole before all avenues had been checked off the list and they were not destined to leave this place.

"I am sorry to say but I disagree with what you have to say about women and men, and I will be taking back my student!" Ino yelled as she forced her right palm forward towards the man's face which caused him to move backwards in order to dodge the hit. In the process he let go of the girl within his grasp. Ino dodged around her student and continued on the offensive, she sent another fist crashing forwards this time closed and felt her knuckles brushing against the skin on his face. She took great glee in the surprised look on the man's face. Bringing her right fist up a second time she intended to use an uppercut on the man until she felt the momentum in her hand stopping suddenly. Looking to her hand she could see it covered by a larger scarred hand that belonged to the man in question.

"Women should not try to hurt men, otherwise they must be disciplined" the man said with an evil glint in his voice. He forced her arm out in the opposite direction to what it should move and made Ino move in that direction due to the pain. With her side left wide open the man sent his foot crashing into her side and caused her to go flying in that direction. She was only stopped when a tree suddenly got in the path of her intended flight. Slumping to the ground Ino felt the last of her consciousness going with it.

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><p>Ino's team were all standing in petrified silence as they watched the man finish off their sensei. When she slumped against the tree and did not rise again they knew that she had been finished, they knew she could fight no more. They would not let her sacrifice die in vain, they would fight too, and they would not give their bodies up willingly. All three nodded to each other and charged forward, their varied war cries were screamed as they ran.<p>

Without any warning however a yellow and white blur appeared before them, it was as if he had simply materialized from thin air, actually to be more specific, he technically did just materialise out of thin air. Suddenly in front of the three girls was a man of about the same height as the first, unruly blonde hair and a white cloak on his back that had orange flame designs at the bottom of the cloak, also on his back was a large scroll. All three of the girls had to stop suddenly or else run into the back of the man who had suddenly made his appearance.

"Who are you?" the man in front of them asked loudly towards the man opposite him. His voice was rough and rugged, and by the way the girls watched the man with the Sharingan that voice had effects it did not have on them. His eyes dilated in evident annoyance but also hidden within his eyes was blatant fear, in its most primal form. The man took a step backwards in his more evident fear now.

"You, what the hell are you doing here!" the man screamed at the blonde haired man, he simply cocked his head to the side before he gave his answer.

"Why? Well first of all you are a danger to this world and your name makes you out to be strong. More than that however you are a man fighting against a group of girls. While I may not wish to trample upon their pride that is not the way a gentleman treats a lady, nor a group of women" the man answered back slowly as he took in the appearance of a man who was staring his greatest fear in the eye.

"Women are less than men! They should not be treated as equals as they are the servants! They make sure the men's needs are attended to!" the man shouted back, forgetting about his fear then and there in his annoyance that this man was another who believed in equality. He was not prepared when the man in front of him began to laugh; it started off as a chuckle but escalated into a full-blown laughter directed towards the man in question.

"You are exactly the type of man that I hate! Those who think women are not worth the dirt on their boots! I treat women as equal because I realise that in order for the world to continue forwards and show them that there are those that care I have to treat them as equals! How else do you expect love to happen? If you treat a woman as if she is a slave then she does not love you, that is dependence." The man chorused off in his obvious anger towards the statement of the Sharingan user. The man with the Sharingan stepped back at the rage fuelled words of the blonde haired man, he was definitely scary with something he believed in.

"It does not matter in this situation anyway" the blonde man started as he turned towards the three girls.

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><p>They were no able to see him from the front and were now a little more understanding of why the man opposite them was so scared of him. The man was about 6ft tall and had unruly blonde hair as they already knew; he had a large white cloak that covered over mostly black attire, such as Shinobi pants, black undershirt and black battle sandals, besides the white armour that covered his torso. There were also shoulder guards just under the cloak. It was not his figure that was imposing not in the least, what scared the three of them and the other Shinobi they guessed was the mask that he wore. His mask was what looked like it was hunter-nin standard issue but it was so much more sinister than any they had seen before. There was a grin painted onto the mouth area of the mask, it looked like it had been scraped out of blood. The entire mask itself was completely black in contrast to the usual white colour of hunter-nin masks, the only other difference was the kanji written at the top of the mask.<p>

"Akuma!" Kyoki squeaked as she read the word that was etched into the forehead of the mask that the man before them wore, they could not see through the eye holes of the mask and that scared them even more.

"You really are the devil everyone calls you, you sprout such shit about equality of women then turn your back on me and focus on those girls. Are you afraid that my reasoning is correct and that I have the better beliefs?" the man asked gloating as he could tell that each of the words he spoke was definitely getting through, or so he thought. The guy behind that mask was definitely not showing any physical signs of those words affecting him.

"Unfortunately for you I am only turning my back on you for one reason, I am making sure that these three are-" the man was unable to finished his sentence as a heel came crashing down on the back of his head and slammed his face into the ground. The assailant done a back-flip off from the position they had ended in and landed just in front of the girls. Ino whipped her hair to the side and it fell over her back into its usual position. Her outfit had generally stayed the same, she had the purple sleeveless shirt still, over the purple sleeveless shirt was her Jonin vest and she wore the black pants most Jonin wore. Her face was one of evident fury right now, she had woken up only to find her students at the mercy of a second man who had entered the area, so she leapt into action, although she had used a burst of her emergency chakra and was dangerously close to the edge now.

"OW ow ow" came the voice of the man whose face was currently on the ground, he rubbed the back of his head as he spoke the words. Leaning back slightly he tried to look up but noticed before he lifted his head that his mask was shattering. "And here I wanted to keep my identity a secret until I completed my mission; I guess I failed that bit anyway" the man said as he lifted himself to a sitting position.

That was when Ino saw them, those Cerulean blue eyes that she had not seen in years, well one of them to be exact. The mask he wore was now shattered across the right eye area and she was afforded the sight of a man she had lost all track of communication with. He had certainly grown in the expanse of time that she had not seen him, his face was more rugged and looked so much more handsome than his childish face that she last remembered.

Before she could even ask his name there was a flash of chakra and suddenly the man with the Sharingan was behind her old friend. With hand seals that moved faster than she had ever seen since her days during the war the man brought his hands to his mouth before shouting. "Katon: Gyokaku no Jutsu" with the command in place a large ball of fire erupted from his mouth and completely covered the form of the man before her.

"Naruto!" Ino screamed in fear for her friend, he had not any opportunity to even dodge that hit, but it also showed to her that she and her team were definitely at risk if the enemy Shinobi could pull of things like that, add to the equation that all four of them were dangerously low on chakra and they stand little to no chance.

The blazing inferno that surrounded Naruto receded slowly. Ino and her team were afforded the sight of watching as the flames got smaller until they were in an almost spherical shape, eventually the flames died away completely and revealed Naruto in a sitting position with his legs and arms crossed, more looking like he was meditating. He was facing the team of four women in his current state and once the flames had completely disappeared he snapped his head upwards and stared directly into Ino's eyes.

Ino was entranced within his eye. They held so many things at once it was impossible to describe. His eyes danced with so many emotions it was almost as if an intricate play was being conducted across them. His eye told of his happiness at seeing her but also told of his distinct fear of the current predicament. It was that same eye that momentarily changed but she had not missed it, she had seen his eye flash to purple with concentric circles, alongside three tomoe on each circle, making nine tomoe visible. After she had blinked however she noticed that the visage was gone and his beautiful and honest blue eyes were back.

"Ino-chan, it's been a while" Naruto said to her and done something that she had only ever seen Kakashi do, he gave her an eye smile. "Are you girls ok? Has he hurt any of you?" Naruto asked them seriously again, the three girls behind her shook their heads, they took Naruto's soft voice and his obvious familiarity with Ino as a sign that he could be trusted. Naruto then looked to Ino for her response, only to find the woman kneeling staring at him while he sat.

"No he hasn't Naruto, who would have thought that I would still need to be saved from you huh?" Ino asked the man before her who flashed her his sexy fox grin that sent shivers up her spine, she definitely missed that smile.

"Okay, good, don't worry girls I'll finish this bastard off and have you all home before the night is out" Naruto responded to her flashing his eye smile again. He then twisted on the spot and pushed himself back onto his feet in a rather acrobatic way.

"You are going to save those women then?" the other man complained as he let loose a heavy sigh and moved into a fighting position that had his legs spread far apart to support his weight. His arms were out wide with both of his palms facing in front of him. Naruto looked at his stance in surprise.

"You possess a Sharingan yet you use the stance of a Hyuga, you truly are a pain in the ass Shinobi" Naruto complained before he mirrored the stance himself and grinned at the face pulled by his enemy. "Do you think you are the only one outside of the Hyuga who knows this fighting style? I learned it a long time ago, let's see who is strongest shall we?" Naruto asked with a grin before he charged across the land towards his opponent. His fist drove forward with his middle and index finger pointing outwards, the man batted his hand away with an expulsion of chakra to the back of his hand and jumped away backwards.

"Don't worry Harazu Kuroha, I will make sure that you wished you did not procure those eyes, your death shall be painful" Naruto said to the man coldly as he stood straight again and looked towards Haruza directly. Needless to say Haruza was panicing now, if naruto was as powerful as he was made out to be during the Fourth Shinobi war, thwen he was doomed.

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><p><em>Well here is just something that came into my head one night and I decided to write it, if you like it let me know and I will continue the story onwards and maybe make a whole story out of it, alas it is up to you readers, as always leave a review or something to let me know please? Thank you =] - Varrukh<em>


	2. Chapter 2 A Hero Prevails

Naruto and Haruza stared off over the barren landscape that they both currently inhabited. Ino watched in complete silence as the two warriors faced of silently. She could not however shake off the feeling that where all of them were currently situated was somewhere she had been before, and to be honest, it was really starting to hurt her head as she continued to think about it. There was something about the petrified trees that surrounded her and her team that had her strangely wondering why this place brought back such an oppressing and dark feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Naruto moved his hand up to his face, for the barest of moments he saw a spark of fear race throughout the body of Haruza, Naruto smirked as he guessed his reputation preceded himself, of course no-one called him the Demon for nothing. Naruto moved back into the Hyuga stance and grinned towards his opponent when he noticed that Haruza seemed to seriously be thinking twice about facing off against Naruto, there truly was little hope for anyone against the Demon, or so he had been told.

"If you do not wish to fight me then you had better leave here" Naruto told the man as his head snapped up to look at naruto incredulously, there was no way that he was given the option to simply walk away from this, it was too good to be true. "First of all though, you have to take out your eyes" Naruto told him in a manner that was far too calm for what it was that he was asking. So out of character was it that Haruza sputtered on his own saliva as he digested what Naruto had said. Take out his eyes? How the hell could he do that?

"What the fuck are you talking about! I can't take these eyes out!" Haruza screamed in reply and naruto crouched down almost looking like he was ready to pounce, and with his next motion he made it clear that it was in fact the intended idea.

"I know that, I just always give that option to those who stole the Sharingan, kinda makes my conscience feel better" Naruto answered as he lunged across the ground towards Haruza. Haruza stood stock still for a few moments before Naruto was finally upon him and he was forced to again backhand Naruto's strike aimed for his chest. He could see that it was in fact red chakra that was expelled from Naruto's hand, he was serious, and this chakra was meant to kill.

Haruza spun quickly in order to dodge a chakra strike that was going to be directed at his stomach this time, he could feel as the length of Naruto's arm ran across the small of his back near the bottom and recalled just how close that hit had been from ending his life so suddenly and so neatly at the same time.

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><p>Ino watched in slight surprise too, never had she seen chakra as red, blue of course, as it was the usual colour it went when it was strong enough to be seen. But red made her wonder just what in the hell was going on.<p>

That was not all that was making her wonder about the blonde haired man who was essentially saving them. First on her mind was the way that he was acting, forget the fact he was using a clan specific taijutsu, his very demeanour seemed different, seemed almost dangerous and dare she say _sexy? _Then there was that flash of a change she had seen in his eye, it looked like it was a Sharingan, but at the same time it didn't. It was strange for her to try and think about. She saw the tell-tale signs of the Sharingan through the tomoe that were within his eye, but he had concentric circles in his eyes too that she had never seen since…. No way.

Naruto struck at Haruza again and was not prepared for the fact that as Haruza sidestepped his attack, Ino was directly behind him. Naruto could see the shock written across Ino's face and Ino was finally able to see Naruto's eye again. She was right the eyes were that mans besides the tomoe within the concentric circles they were that mans. The man who had basically destroyed the leaf village. As naruto closed in on her she could see fear crossing over those eyes that had been lifeless the last time she had seen eyes like those. Naruto suddenly fazed out of his position in front of her and was behind her breathing heavily.

"That… was too… close" Naruto complained as he took deep breaths, Ino twisted around to see Naruto looking down at her with wide eyes, what he was so close to doing to Ino clearly had him worried about her welfare, she could see what his strikes were intending and he knew what they intended. Both knew that had that hit Ino there would have been some serious repercussions. "Sorry Ino-chan, that won't happen again" Naruto said trying to assure her to the best of his ability, yet she knew it was not for her sake, it was for his own, he had almost struck her and it scared him.

Naruto moved around the grounded woman in front of him and stood facing the slumped over form of Haruza, the man was taking deep breaths and Naruto knew fine well why. First of all was simply the fact that he had his Sharingan activated and since he was not an Uchiha meant that he did not build up the resistance they had to the Sharingan's effects. Second of all was the fact that Naruto's assault on him had been relentless, it was his way of dealing with his enemies if he could tire them out then he could beat them, it was a simple, tried and tested method, why mess with something that works?

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><p>"Will you still try to resist?" Naruto asked coldly towards his opponent. Haruza simply looked up from where he was currently slumped over. Naruto was standing in front of the woman in a protective stance it would appear. Haruza took a deep breath and finally straightened himself out and looked directly at Naruto.<p>

"I am Akatsuki! My domination will come to fruition!" Haruza yelled out before he charged across the battleground again, the Hyuga style forgotten to him before he had even used it in their battle. Haruza sent a fist directly at naruto's face which he caught with slight trouble. "That's not all!" Haruza yelled before his other fist came screaming up towards Naruto's face. "Phoenix Talon!" Haruza yelled as his fist flew at Naruto's masked face and suddenly took on the visage of a fiery talon, opened and ready to pierce at Naruto's face. Naruto's face grew to look much more feral before the impact of Haruza's fist. The talon of fire licked at his mask and with a crack the mask broke.

Naruto grunted in surprise as his mask was shattered. He could see the look of almost accomplishment on Haruza's face and felt a chuckle rising to his mouth.

"Well I guess it was time to drop the guise anyway, wouldn't you say so?" Naruto asked the man who was suddenly looking at Naruto as if he were mad; didn't he want his identity to be kept a secret? Why would he so suddenly not be bothered about it much?

"What the hell are you talking about?" Haruza asked his enemy in confusion as the blonde haired man turned to look at Haruza again, he could see the face of his enemy now. Both eyes were purple with concentric lines but also had three tomoe in each line, making nine tomoe in total. He had three whisker marks on each of his cheeks; scariest thing of all was his uncanny resemblance to the Yondaime Hokage, if it wasn't for the eyes Haruza would have sworn he was looking at the Yondaime incarnate.

"Simple, after I defeat you my mission is over and I no longer have to hide my identity as all of my possible enemies have been destroyed" Naruto answered back simply, not realising the impact he had on those around him.

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><p>Haruza panicked, naruto had destroyed all who had opposed him until now? So that meant that he was last on Naruto's list, it also meant that Naruto had fought and beat some seriously top notch ninja, Haruza knew of some who did not like Naruto and actively seeked him out for a fight. Needless to say Haruza did not see them after they had left right enough. So this was it? His last battle? He might as well go out with a bang.<p>

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><p>Ino was simply watching him in strict amazement. How many had he fought if that was the case? He seemed utterly relentless and so much more powerful than she had last seen him at the end of the Fourth Shinobi War. She had heard of at least fifteen strong Shinobi being found either dead or beaten close enough to death in the past, with one thing in common, they had either one or two eyes of Sharingan origin. It was only now that Ino finally put the pieces together. No way! Naruto had definitely become strong if he was able to take on those who possessed a Sharingan.<p>

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><p>The trio of girls who were currently crouched down behind and to the sides of their sensei respectively felt fear. This man was dangerous and they could simply tell that directly, they had seen the way that naruto had acted and just how close he had come to hitting their sensei. They understood it was accidental of course after witnessing the way that he had tried to evade hitting Ino, but that did not help their fears subside. They were afraid of the man they had been forced to fight and currently Naruto was running rings around him. It only made sense that their fear change to the one who was now the stronger.<p>

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><p>"IS that so? In that case then I won't make it easy for you!" Haruza yelled as he raised his hand into the air, then around his hand suddenly chakra became visible and sparks of lightning began dancing over his hand. "How do you like this! My right eye grants me an ability I would not have otherwise! Chidori!" the man shouted as suddenly his laughter echoed throughout the whole area they were within.<p>

Naruto stood still, nothing happening, the only tell-tale signs of something happening was Naruto's hads gripping tighter and small trickles of blood seeping down his knuckles. He was literally gripping so hard that his nails were digging into his palms.

"You bastard!" Naruto seethed out, Ino in shock could not understand why Naruto seemed to have changed so much, it was only an ability that was afforded because of the Sharingan. "You took his eyes! You took his EYES!" Naruto roared as his head snapped back and Haruza was able to see the face of fury that was Naruto.

Thunder clapped above them as suddenly the skies above turned from the rather nice sunset, to a dark and dreaded overcast. Lightning bolts could be seen running through the clouds. All around Naruto chakra gained physical form as it danced around his body almost as if it was afraid to touch him. Haruza watched in awe at the change in weather, and then looked over to Naruto in order to find the man with a rage induced face staring directly at him. Naruto extended his own hand upwards and mirrored Haruza's motion from earlier, with lightning covering his hand as it was raised in the air.

"I WILL SHOW YOU THE GIFT THAT SASUKE LEFT ME! AND WHAT YOU TRIED TO STEAL FROM HIM!" Naruto screamed at the top of his voice as he felt the charge in his hand growing ever larger, with lightning cracking in the sky above him he sent the powers of Chidori high into the sky and felt his chakra mixing with that of nature.

"NOW WITNESS THE END OF YOUR TREPIDATIONS!" naruto yelled before he brought his arm down at a ninety degree angle and as his arm done so a massive lightning crack formed into a korean dragon of pure lightning and charged towards Haruza, so shocked at the sheer brutality of such a move haruze was unable to dodge the beast as it screamed towards him.

"KIRIN!"

The Korean dragon did not hesitate and smashed into Haruza with enough force that the ensuing explosion caused much of the earth to shake and quiver. Ino and her squad felt the effects of the blast as they were front view observers, as debris and dust was kicked up Ino moved to protect her squad but found her body unable to move, in fear she turned to look to her squad of girls to see them all with fearful looks on their faces but also that of determination. That was when she realized to her pride that they had learned her fundamental lesson. Teamwork is the most important thing to a Shinobi.

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><p>Ino waited for the inevitable to happen, for her and her squad to be crushed under some force or another. What they had not expected was such a sudden warm embrace around them for the barest of seconds before they were thrown to the ground. Ino grabbed for her team and rolled onto her back with her arms around the three girls, when he back impacted though her arms opened wide and they all fell to the ground. With another thud another body landed on the ground not too far away from them.<p>

Ino was the first to sit up after coming to a complete stop and looked around her at her surroundings. This was not the place they had been a few moments ago, and why did it feel like she had an arm around her body a second ago and now she was in a new place with her team? She heard a groan to her left and looked around cautiously. There in a lump on the ground was the body of the man who had caused that devastation.

"Naruto…" Ino said more to herself than anyone else, that did not mean that it had went unheard of course.

"Sorry about the rough landing Ino-chan and girls, I haven't tried to carry four others with me when I used the Hirashem no Jutsu and it was kinda hard" Naruto said to the ground below his face before he tried to get back onto his feet. He was shaky at first but was able to steady himself eventually after much effort.

"You're right it was a rough landing, but I guess it's better than death, right girls?" Ino asked as she looked over to where her entire team were starting to get onto their feet. All of them looked to her and after thinking over what she had said, all at the same time the girls nodded their heads.

"Anyway, I do apologise" Naruto repeated as Ino looked at him again this time with a look of 'honestly'

"Really naruto don't worry about us, you were the one fighting so you should worry about yourself" Ino replied as she looked him over, to find to her shock that right there and then he seemed to be completely fine, not a scratch or a blemish on his face, nor a cut out of his clothing, he had not been hit once.

"I don't need to worry about me, I have fought those eyes for so long that they no longer affect me, that is why I'm fine" Naruto responded to Ino's questioning stare at his entire body, as he spoke her eyes were brought to his face which was smiling for whatever reason there was. It was his sincere smile, that foxy one that had Ino wishing she were closer to him than she already was, it was as if that smile had a pulling effect and Ino was considering letting in to the desire.

"You on the other hand have got to be seen by a medic-nin soon, your life is in dire jeopardy, if you are left much longer the last of your chakra will disappear" Naruto responded so matter of factly that it grounded Ino, way to be blunt. When Ino finally looked back to his face again she could see the look of concern written upon his face and found it sweet, despite what he had so brashly said, honestly he had never learned any tact at all over the last few years had he?

"What do you propose then? I cant move at all and it would take too long for a medic-nin to get out here, what's your suggestion?" Ino asked sarcastically not expecting an answer to her question, that was kind of the reason she asked it. Nonetheless she received an answer.

"I will carry you back to Konoha Ino-chan" Naruto said in a soft voice that Ino could just tell he had said with a smile, she and her entire team turned to Naruto at what he was suggesting, the fury in their eyes was plain for Naruto to see an he jumped in fright. "AAh, only if you want! Only if you want!" Naruto yelled to Ino as he tried his best to battle away the scary glares that he was receiving from all four of the women.

"Ladies I do believe that we have made our point" Ino said to her squad as she turned to them with a smile on her face, something that they feared they may never see again. "Well Naruto-baka, since yur logic made so much sense let's get out of here and back to Konoha, remember your promise to get us back before the night was out?" Ino asked as Naruto moved into position in order to lift her up from the ground. He had just placed his arms under her knees and shoulders when she asked him the question. At the question he looked directly at her and nodded his head. "Well you have about another hour in order to do so" Ino said with a grin as she done so, what she noticed next however was the fact that Naruto's smirk found a way onto his face.

"So you doubt my capabilities of getting you to Konoha in the next hour Ino? I can bet you 50 Ryo I'll have us there in the next ten minutes" Naruto responded with a smirk that would rival Hidan's. Ino's smirk grew to accompany his; she was not going to be outdone by Naruto here, of course not. He was going to explain himself to her and he was going to do so on the way to Konoha.

"Ok then you have a deal" Ino said with a smile that exuded confidence. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu" and suddenly there were three more identical Naruto's over where the rest of Ino's team were, each of them offering a hand to a separate girl. All of them looked to Ino as if in question whether to trust the apparitions of the one who carried her. Ino understood their unwillingness to go with one who had shown so much brutality, but she knew Naruto, or she hoped she did anyway.

"It's ok girls, this is Naruto we are talking about here, he wont do anything to harm you, he is a kind soul at heart, don't allow his display to scare you" Ino told her squad as they all nodded their heads and accepted the Naruto clones hand's. each being held in a position identical to Ino, in bridal position. "Ok Naruto, show me how you plan to get me and my team back to Konoha in under ten minutes" Ino said with a smirk. Naruto shook his head as he laughed slightly.

"Ino-chan you don't remember what I used to get us out of where I fought Haruza, do you?" Naruto asked as his chuckle escalated slightly and Ino felt her body jiggle, it was not uncomfortable in the slightest though, since it was caused by Naruto and for some reason he exuded a calming agent on her she couldn't care less just now. She felt her consciousness slipping away slowly and could only answer with a weak "No".

As soon as Naruto could see that Ino was slowly losing consciousness he looked up in firght. "Guys, we're going to Konoha now! Se the Jutsu!" naruto yelled to his dopplegangers before he vanished into a flash of golden light. The whole of team Ino were given the slightest of chances to wonder what had just happened before they were in a tunnel that looked like the world was passing by them at the speed of…well… sound.

* * *

><p>The blackness receded somewhat and Ino groaned as she could feel the light directly in front of her eyelids almost trying to burn through them. Damnit how she hated lights when they done that, it hurt so damn much. That and the smell she was being overpowered with was one that she did not like much either, anaesthetic the smell of it was not nice at all, nope. With that smell came a sudden realisation of where she must be. She opened her eyes only to be blinded by the light that was directly above her bed. Honestly why do they always put you right under a light, they trying to scare the shit out of you?<p>

She looked to the side in order to open her eyes without destroying them and what she was met with surprised her, to her left were three more beds and upon closer inspection she found that they were all occupied by her squad of girls. She suddenly sat upright in fright, wondering what had happened to her darling girls, why were they all in a hospital when they were all last fighting with… him.

"I told you I'd get you here before night fell" came a muffled noise from directly in front of her bed and slightly to the left. Ino looked to the direction the voice had come from and found the one that she seeked. There sitting in one of the hospital chairs against the wall looking at all four of them was the man that she had last seen before going into the blackness. She hadn't wanted to go there but her body gave out on her and she had no choice.

Naruto was sitting in the chair with his arms folded and his head down. Ino tried to move some more but found that her body would not comply with what she wanted to do; wincing in pain Ino did not push any more than she had to. Being very far versed in the medical field she knew she would need to rest. She had known this when she was fighting Haruza, but she wanted to save her squad and did not care about herself. That was until Naruto appeared and saved her of course.

"The nurse said that you shouldn't move too much 'cause you gotta get your strength back first" Naruto said suddenly and if Ino didn't know any better she would have thought that she heard Naruto trying to give her advice on how to look after herself. More than that though, she heard the concern in his voice too. Looking up she found that Naruto was looking at her but to her disappointment looking at him was like looking at a wall. Well maybe porcelain was more apt but she couldn't see his face and that was her main gripe.

"I know, I know, remember I'm also a medic-nin Naruto, thank you for the concern though" Ino answered him happily as she sat up correctly on her bed and looked directly at him. His mask was different this time, it was just a plain white mask, he must still have to make his canvas into a masterpiece yet.

Naruto was about to respond until the door to their room opened up and a bunch of people flooded in. first of all was the Hokage herself, the years had clearly done nothing to her Genjutsu face. Behind her was Inoichi Yamanaka who had eyes only for his daughter who was on the faraway bed. After him was the head of the Hyuga clan. Hinata walked into the room with a grace only she could hold up, she wore the clothing of the clan head and moved directly over to the blonde Hyuga who was unconscious on the bed, instantly dropping next to her and softly rubbing her head as tears appeared.

After Hinata was Kurenai who walked into the room in a panic and obviously moved over to where her daughter lay silently, still breathing but looked to be at peace. Kurenai smiled at the bravery of her daughter and gently wiped away a bang on her face. Naruto watched in interest as the other girl within the group had no-one coming in and acting as caring as the others he had seen. He decided that now was not the best time to ask questions however as the Hokage's gaze was suddenly upon him.

"I thank you for saving some of my Shinobi stranger but I must ask why you have done so and why you are still here?" Tsunade asked the masked stranger, there was something about him that she felt was too familiar to feel comfortable with. Naruto got up off of his seat and showed his height to be much taller than the Hokage and in one fluent movement was down on one knee in front of her with his head bowed.

"Forgive me Hokage-sama, I am here to report a failed mission" Naruto said as he could hear the surprised gasps from most of the people who were conscious to hear him. Tsunade looked at the man kneeling before her.

"Who are you?" she asked finally as she could tell that despite who she thought it might be, there was no chance it was him, he was dead. The man removed the mask on his face and looked up, to Tsunade's shock it was the carbon copy of who she thought it was, only thing was that it was in fact his son.

"Naruto!" Tsunade said in surprise, while everyone else in the room went silent.

* * *

><p><em>Well I hope you guys who liked the first chapter like this one too, I will try my absolute hardest not to kill this fic and not lose interest in it which I seem to do. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and get back to me through reviews, thank you! =] - Varrukh<em>


	3. Chapter 3 A Hero Struggles

Naruto stood over the fallen body of the only man he would admit to ever feeling love for. The only man who had ever been as a brother to him, who had accepted him as an adversary and not as a beast just like the village always had. The one man who responsible for so many pains in his life but also was part of the reason he was as strong as he was.

It was never his desire to be Hokage, nor his desire to protect his precious people that had made him as strong as he was. They were strong contributory factors but they were never the entire reason why Naruto strove to be stronger, trained to be better, tried to surpass himself.

Sasuke was his reason to become stronger. Sasuke was his reason to become better. Sasuke was his reason to surpass himself at every turn he made. That one man was the reason Naruto was the man he was today. Naruto never cared for power to control, he never cared for power to dominate, and he only wanted power for one purpose and one purpose only. He wanted to save the one man that had treated him with an ounce of respect when so many others looked to him with such resentment.

Tears began to form in Naruto's eyes as he looked to the prone form of Sasuke, no movements coming from the Uchiha. He fell to his knees and bowed his head down as he felt the tears stinging at his eyes only stronger now. His vision was blurred but he could see what was directly in front of his face. The face of Sasuke Uchiha, white as a sheet of paper lay beneath his own face. Eyes closed and looking almost at peace.

Naruto stared at the face of his fallen brother for a long time. It was almost as if the world moved around him, not wishing to disturb him in his moment of mourning. The wind passed through the Valley of The End and moved the hair that obscured some of Sasuke's face, giving Naruto the full view of the serene face that was now on Sasuke. His tears flowed down his face and rolled onto Sasuke's head, mixing in with the sweat and rain that was also on his forehead. With closed eyes Naruto silently hated himself for what he had been forced into enacting.

Behind closed eyes Naruto was shown flashes of his battle with Sasuke, in every gruesome detail possible. When Sasuke ran him through with a black Chidori, when he forced a Resenshuriken into Sasuke's gut, only for him to be saved by Naruto's unwillingness to kill him and Susano'o, when their battle was interrupted by Madara and they were forced to join together to fight him and finally the moment when Sasuke was killed by Madara.

It was at that point that Naruto felt his body shifting into overdrive. All of the wounds he had sustained began to fizz and bubble as they were slowly healed. His hands which had been spread openly to support his weight over Sasuke clenched tightly as his body began to malform, with hairs growing out of his body and his fingernails lengthening out to claws. He could feel his canines growing along his jawline and felt his body grow, but then he felt nothing.

* * *

><p>With a start Naruto sat up suddenly, sweating heavily and panting in fear, his breathing was not calming down and as such in the dark he held his hand over his chest and tried to slow down his breathing. When eventually his breathing subsided and he was able to calmly look at his surroundings he found himself in a place he detested more than many things, in all these years he had yet to get used to this place. The hospital.<p>

"You talk really loud in your sleep, do you know that?" came a soft voice from his left, to which he turned to and found a pair of azure eyes staring at him softly and a small smile on the face of the one who spoke to him. Naruto thought for a moment and figured out where he was.

"My apologies Yamanaka-san, I have not slept in company for a long time so I don't know" Naruto answered back apologetically as he looked down on his lap. It was the truth though, he had not slept in the same room as anyone in, a fair number of years now, he had always been on the move and not very often had he ever taken the time to share his abode with anyone, except in extenuating circumstances.

Ino was more wondering about the change in formalities with the man in less than twenty four hours, although she did have to admit that even though he put on a show of toughness, he was far from it when he had finally gotten all of them back to Konoha.

"Why am I in here Yamanaka-san?" Naruto asked suddenly as he looked about himself with confusion evident in his voice. Ino didn't know how it was possible for him to be so blissfully unaware of the fact that he was completely covered in bandages. Inside she giggled at the antics of the man in the bed next to her own, no matter how old he got it appeared as though he was forever going to be a child within the shell of a man.

"First of all, please call me Ino, all this Yamanake-san stuff makes me feel old, and it makes me feel as if you don't think we are friends at all" Ino said with a somewhat pout that had Naruto seen he did not comment on it. He however nodded his head in understanding. "Second of all, you are in that bed because not long after Hokage-sama entered the room and you admitted to failing some mission, you fell backwards unconscious" Ino began explaining as she rested into her pillow that had been manoeuvred to allow her to sleep.

"It was only once you fell unconscious that the Hokage was able to see everything that happened to you, there were numerous scars on your body and poisons running through your veins that she almost had a heart-attack at the condition you were in. she said by all rights you should be dead" Ino finished off as she looked over to the face of Naruto. As the darkness of the room became more focused in Ino's mind she could see his face perfectly now. It looked saddened and if Ino was not correct then she could have sworn that she saw a look of disappointment cross over Naruto's features. Was he unhappy that he was alive?

"Naruto? What's wrong?" Ino asked softly as Naruto lifted his head up to look at her, she saw his eyes and saw his flash of his true self before the visage covered it up. His grin grew in proportions and he turned to her with that same smile he had always given her. It made her feel that everything was alright with the world, yet she saw that momentary sadness and was stunned to realise that the mask she was looking at was one she had seen her entire life.

"What? Nothing is wrong, why would there be?" Naruto asked as he smiled to her with his usual disarming smile that made it seem as if things could not go any more smoother. Ino knew for a fact that he was lying to her straight faced, and though she did not like it one bit, who was she to argue? She had not seen him in a long time and sometimes there are skeletons we just wish never to be found.

"It's just that after I told you about all of your injuries you seemed almost sad, I just wanted to make sure you were alright" Ino answered with a genuine smile towards him, if he was trying to smile to make the situation more bearable then it was only fair that she smile back to him in all honesty.

"Oh… I'm fine thanks Ino-Chan, I guess it came as a bit of a shock that there was so much happening with my body and I never realised it, I didn't think I was quite so close to death" Naruto admitted as he kept his smile in place while in his mind his thoughts were thinking along a completely different track. _I was so close to death? I guess that was why my movements were getting sluggish._ Naruto thought to himself as he watched Ino's mouth move and noticed he had tuned her out, with a slight bit of embarrassment he tuned her back in.

"… it sounded like some strong stuff that was in your blood, just what have you been up to Naruto?" Ino finished with a questioning look that Naruto smiled and rubbed the back of his head, for the first time realising that he had bandages all around his head. Shaking off his feeling of stupidity for that moment Naruto answered Ino.

"You know, this and that" Naruto responded with a slight laugh that again got Ino slightly frustrated in the manner that he avoided her question, she could not get mad at him because he did technically answer her question and she did not want to be too overbearing, after so long apart she did not know what the limits between them were, not the romantic kind just the limits between friends. What she could get away with around him basically.

"I see, despite it avoiding the question entirely I will let you away with it, after so long away I doubt telling everyone everything is high on your agenda list" Ino admitted more to herself than to Naruto but lifted her head up when she heard Naruto chuckle lightly, for the first time in their conversation Ino saw what she knew was a true smile on his face. It was small but it was genuine.

"I guess that's true, I've not been in the village in a long time…" Naruto began before finishing abruptly and looked to his lap. Ino wondered what could possibly have happened, she did not however wish to disturb him as it appeared something was deeply troubling him and she honestly did not know if she should or shouldn't say anything. "… I've not been here ever since the end of the Fourth Shinobi War" Naruto finished with a smile on his face. "Wow, I've almost definitely missed out on a lot of things happening haven't I?" Naruto asked slightly embarrassed by his cluelessness in the expanse of time.

"Yes, you really have missed out on a lot" Ino said as she yawned heavily, Naruto had really woke up with a fright at such a bad time, honestly, she was enjoying a very good dream when he woke her up. He may have been part of that dream, but that wasn't the point!

"I guess I gotta catch up now then huh? So long as the council don't try anything with me after this failure" Naruto finished with the slightest hints of doubt conquering his voice at the end, Ino heard it loud and clear, the change in his voice from confident to unsure. It was like a sting to her heart to think of him getting in trouble for failing whatever mission it was he was on. Naruto lay down and turned his back to her, facing towards the window and before long she heard the rhythmic breathing of Naruto as he slept.

Ino was thinking to herself of the man that lay in the bed next to her. She had not told him the worst of his condition because she worried about his response to such information. The true extent of his injuries included multiple fractured bones, many scars, some of which were infected and the many poisons within his blood stream. None of them showed up until he was unconscious when they all appeared as if they had been supressed as he was awake.

His scars were surprisingly easy to heal and the same for his fractured bones, it was as if he was stopping his very own body from healing naturally, which even Tsunade admitted to not understanding. The poisons within his bloodstream just as Tsunade said, should have killed him but in some lucky twist of fate the sheer amount of poisons and the variety of them meant that it was almost like they met and nullified each other, making them nothing more than harmless traces within his blood. Naruto essentially had the most potent poison within his blood, his blood being the poison now.

In all Naruto had definitely changed, but his genetic make-up and his psych were two completely different things, this was normal for everyone but on Naruto it was a shoe-in. he was definitely different in his head than he was genetically shown to be. His body may be poisoned but surely his mind couldn't be damaged. Could it?

After what Ino had not long ago just witnessed she was honestly not too sure.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Later that day<strong>_

Ino was wide awake and had been for a long time now, it was midday and because of her usual Shinobi duties she was hardwired to get up much earlier than midday. Since she was stuck in the hospital for the next two days though it looked like she was going to have to get used to sitting around doing nothing. She would have preferred it if her team were at least able to wake up, but she had to admit that after what they had been through and what they had been so close to being subject to, she couldn't blame them. They were exhausted plain and simple.

That just meant that Ino was forced to sit in this boring hospital room all by herself and try to think of any tangible way that she could fight off the boredom. The ideas were not coming thick and fast. Then as her eyes had done so many times ever since she had woken up her eyes found their path being directed towards the blonde Shinobi to her right hand side. It was miraculous the condition he was in. with the added light of the midday sun Ino was able to see just what condition Naruto was in.

His entire body was covered in bandages even right across his head; he looked much like he did after his first attempt at retrieving Sasuke. There were also many different tubes running to and from him carrying varying fluids to try and help him. The man himself though seemed completely undisturbed, ever since he had fallen asleep the night before he had been completely silent. Ino would have thought him dead if she had not seen his chest rising and falling with his every breath. He was an amazing man, that he could withstand the sheer amount of injuries he had entered with astounded her and even gave Tsunade the fright of her life.

Ino was interrupted from her thoughts when the door to her room was opened. She turned to the ones who had entered to find a nice sight before her.

"Shika! Choji!" Ino called out happily as the two aforementioned men smiled in her direction before walking over to her bed. Both men had changed since the time of the Fourth Shinobi War. Shikamaru stood much taller now at about 6ft and his physical framed had stretched somewhat, he was still lazy as ever but his body was primed for anything. Choji stood about the same height as his best friend but where Shikamaru had bulked up slightly Choji had become slightly more round, even at that he was not overly large by any means. Both were wearing almost identical attire from their time in the Allied Shinobi Forces, the only difference being that they had the Konoha headband.

"Hey Ino" Choji said with a happy smile on his face at seeing his old teammate, it had definitely been a long time since they'd seen each other. Ever since becoming Jonin they all had their own teams to look after and help and honestly time was tight at times. "Why are you in here? I always thought that you were the one who said you could look after yourself" Choji said with a bit of a grin on his face towards Ino who pouted in answer.

"You're mean to me Choji" Ino whined quietly while looking down to her lap, with her face still in a pouting position, Choji laughed slightly as Shikamaru looked around the room at the three girls that were in the beds next to Ino. He turned back to Ino as his gaze fell upon the sleeping form of Kyoki; slight concern was written on his face as he looked to Ino.

"Ino, is Kyoki alright?" Shikamaru asked and Ino could instantly tell that Shikamaru was concerned for the wellbeing of the young girl. He had promised that he would look after his sensei's child and become their sensei to make them a cool adult. While he had not become her sensei he still looked after her to the best of his abilities, almost becoming the father she had lost.

"Yes, she's fine Shika, just tired through chakra exhaustion" Ino answered back with a soft smile which did serve to calm Shikamaru down slightly, Choji watched as his best friend seemed to become less tense after Ino's assurance that Kyoki was fine.

"Speaking of which, how did you all get back if you were all exhausted from chakra exhaustion?" Choji asked as he looked to Ino and then surveyed all of the girls in the room who were all sleeping soundly at that moment and time.

"I would love to be able to say that it was me who was able to force myself onwards home while carrying all of them but it wasn't me" Ino answered back half ashamed and half embarrassed. Shikamaru and Choji looked to Ino in confusion, it wasn't like Ino to blush like this and after the events leading up to now, they couldn't understand why she was blushing.

"Then who was it that helped you, I mean after the Fourth Shinobi War it could be a wide variety of Shinobi, I cant remember how many of the other countries Shinobi you and Sakura healed" Choji said as Shikamaru nodded his head in agreement. Indeed Ino and Sakura after the fighting had ceased and Madara was gone, in a rather brutal way that is, there were still the sick and the wounded to tend to. Both of them with the help of Tsunade, Shizune and Hinata to name but a few, healed any and every Shinobi that came to them, gaining reputations as fair Shinobi the world over.

"It wasn't any Shinobi from another village, we were too far away from any of the other villages to get any help from them, it was one of Konoha's Shinobi that helped us" Ino answered as again Shikamaru and Choji looked to her both confused and surprised. They hadn't heard of any other Konoha Shinobi being with Ino and her squad, all they knew was that Ino and her squad were in hospital with chakra exhaustion.

"Who was it?" Shikamaru asked this time, prepared to go and thank whichever Shinobi it was that protected his old teammate and the girl who was more or less a daughter to him, despite many assurances that he was just a guardian. Ino smiled at her old teammates enthusiasm, Shikamaru really was an energetic individual if something really meant something to him.

Ino jerked her head towards the bed that currently housed the sleeping form of Naruto. "He did" Ino said as she too looked over to where Naruto lay. Shikamaru and Choji's jaws almost literally hit the floor, they could see that whoever this guy was he had definitely been through one hell of a lot. His entire body was covered in bandages and that was before they got to the amount of tubes running to and from his body.

"Who is that?" Shikamaru asked almost sounding shocked, and why wouldn't he? The state of the man occupying that bed looked horrible, it reminded him of a friends condition years ago after a failed retrieval mission. Choji was staring at the man too he couldn't believe what he was seeing; it was as if this man was literally walking the tightrope of life. It was as Choji stared at the face of the man that he caught a glimpse of who he might be. For the slightest f seconds he saw the eyes hidden behind the shadow of the bandages opening and could see the cerulean colour of them as they momentarily opened and then just as quickly, closed again.

"N-N-No way!" Choji almost yelled as he stared into the shadowed face of the man in the bed next to Ino. She was currently staring at Naruto's body which had resumed its rhythmic breathing. Shikamaru was however worried about the sudden reaction of his best friend and moved beside him to find out the problem.

"What's wrong Choji?" he asked quickly as he was now standing next to his best friend who was currently still staring at the man in the bed.

"Ino? That isn't who I think it is, is it?" Choji asked Ino as he looked to her, finding that she too was looking at the man in the other bed with warmth in her eyes and maybe a hint of concern?

"Yes, it's Naruto" Ino answered shortly as her gaze never once wavered from him at all, Choji and Shikamaru noticed this and once again looked to the form of Naruto, the last time they had been around Naruto it had not been on the most pleasant of terms.

As if hearing the name was a beacon, the form of Naruto began to shift and move in the current position on the bed. After a few moments he regained his bearings and looked to his left only to see Ino staring at him but also he saw Choji and Shikamaru staring at him in almost fear? Right enough, the last time they had talked, Naruto had been somewhat worked up. He sat up on his bed and looked over to the trio who were currently staring at him.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Naruto asked slowly as he looked to each of three individually, Ino was first surprised due to his cold voice and due to the fact that her two teammates had tensed up ever since Naruto had awoken. Naruto's gaze became a cold glare as he looked at all of them. Ino could not understand why the atmosphere had become so dark and scary so suddenly, Naruto had seemed alright during the night but now it was like he had changed overnight.

When Naruto never received a reply from the two men he lifted himself from his bed. Pulling out tubes from all over his body, he did not wince once as he moved and caused tubed of liquid to forcibly exit his body. He pulled on his clothes that lay on the chair next to his bed and turned back around to the three who looked at him in horror. Through the black undershirt he wore they could see multiple lines of blood seeping out of his body and onto the bandages, after moving around it had no doubt opened up the scars.

"Naruto! You shouldn't be moving around!" Ino screamed as Naruto basically ignored her and reached over to where his white chest armour and shoulder plates were. He managed to get the armour on but when he reached for his cloak he found that the place it should have been was bare of anything except air. Naruto grunted in annoyance and when he looked over he could see his cloak was in the hands of Shikamaru as he looked at Naruto now without fear, but with concern. The blood was beginning to drip down his arm in torrents for god sake!

"Naruto, please listen to me, if you don't stop you might die!" Ino pleaded as Naruto slowly made his way over to where Shikamaru and Choji were standing. Both got into a subtle defensive stance. Naruto did not hear or did not listen to her as he moved over to where all three were. Naruto's breathing became heavier and laborious as he moved forward, he made to take his cloak from Shikamaru but two things happened.

First of all was that as Naruto made to take his cloak he feebly shot his hand forward to grab it only to touch nothing, after that through and due to the momentum he had gathered Naruto ended up in a heap on the floor. His breathing was getting worse and his body began to shake, it was then that Ino realized to her shock that Naruto was going into shock.

"Shika! Choji! Get a medic-nin in here now, Naruto is in trouble!" Ino screamed to her two teammates who didn't need to be told twice, Ino never yelled at them like that in such fear, it was clear that Naruto saving her had definitely brought her around to worrying about him a great deal. Shikamaru and Choji ran out of the room and split directions, hoping that one of them would find a medic –nin.

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><p>Ino could not just sit in her bed while a man who had saved her life was slowly losing his own. She lifted herself out of her bed, lucky that she did not have anything in her veins or body at all for that matter and stood up above Naruto. She leaned down and laced her arms around Naruto's shoulders and tried to lift him off the ground. Needless to say it failed miserably.<p>

Not wanting to eave Naruto at all Ino sat down on the cold floor and with Naruto's shoulders already raised, she rested his entire body against her own. In the end his head lay on her lap, his own weight had forced him to slide down her body. She tried to remain calm despite his head being in a rather uncomfortable place. She could not dwell on that right now though because she had to keep Naruto awake and let him know that she was there.

"Naruto, it's alright, you're alright, someone will be here to help you soon" Ino cooed to the man who was shaking on her lap. This situation scared Ino out of her wits. She had seen this before of course, and she had seen it on Shinobi before too, it was just the man who currently was in this state scared her. Naruto had never been one to get so ill in the past, he had sustained many injuries in his life and had managed to soldier on through them, but right now he seemed so vulnerable and she was scared now for the man's life.

Naruto seemed to calm down after a few moments, his body stopped shaking. Ino panicked when she thought that Naruto might actually have finally lost his fight, but when she felt his rhythmic breathing return she felt relief. Her hands that had been absently stroking his cheeks in reassurance of his safety were feeling slightly sticky and as Ino lifted her hand she saw that there was blood coating her hands and fingers.

* * *

><p>It was at that moment when Ino inspected her hand that the door to their room was suddenly blown off its hinges and sent into the wall opposite it. Ino looked up when she saw and heard high heels rushing over to their current position. Suddenly standing over them was a very worried looking Tsunade. She looked to the form of Naruto laying on the form of Ino and ran her eyes all over Naruto's body.<p>

"What happened?" Tsunade barked, not in the mood to be nice right now, her favourite knucklehead ninja was on the floor in what seemed like mortal peril. And if the way that Choji had run into her was any indication, this was definitely serious. Ino looked up to the eyes of the older woman and could see the raw worry on her face.

"I don't know Hokage-Sama, he just woke up and started to get dressed, trying to leave, then Shikamaru took his cloak so he couldn't finish, when he went to take it from Shikamaru he collapsed here" Ino answered quickly and precisely to Tsunade, she could see the look in the Hokage's eyes, it was a 'get to the point or this won't be pretty' kind of look.

"What is his condition?" Tsunade barked as she still stood over the pair. She was not going to touch the boy until she knew exactly what was going on, lest she cause even more problems for the man.

"All I know is that he is bleeding heavily and that he had gone into shock not too long ago" Ino answered again just as quickly as she had before. Tsunade nodded her head in understanding before she quickly lifted Naruto off the ground and put him back onto his bed.

Tsunade stripped him of all the clothes he had tried to put on and removed the now soaked bandages revealing the harrowing sight of Naruto's chest. It was covered in scars of all sizes and colours almost. There was also much blood beginning to pour from the scars. Tsunade had to fight back her hemophobia at the sight of all the blood, and placed her hands over the areas that his body seemed the worst affected. Namely two large scars crossing over his entire chest and stomach and a large scar that seemed suspiciously like one Tsunade had seen before.

She pumped chakra to her hands and they suddenly glowed with a green aura over the scars. Ino was standing by Naruto's bedside when she felt a presence coming up behind her and saw Choji out of breath running towards them.

"Sorry I'm late Ino, I got Hokage-Sama and she ran off faster than I expected and she got away from me" Choji explained while Ino absent mindedly nodded her head to her teammate who then focused his own attention on the form of Naruto. Seeing the scars that were covered by the bandages Choji almost felt sick. To see a body in that condition was just too harrowing.

What was slightly worrying for him too was the fact that despite her greatest level of skill in the field Tsunade was sweating now and the wounds on Naruto were not subsiding in the slightest. Both he and Ino could see the look of concentration on Tsunade's face disappear and a look of desperation take over.

"No! Don't do this to me! Naruto! Don't die on me!" Tsunade screamed at the boy who was slowly dying under her own healing skills, it was the worst kind of fate to be the one to watch as someone dies due to your inability to save them. Ino brought her hand up to her mouth as she heard the way Tsunade's voice changed, it was sheer desperation now. Choji was also lost in confusion and fear, for Tsunade to act in such a way was not often heard of and to witness it was worrying.

"Naruto…" Ino said softly as she reached out towards the man who had saved hers and her team's life, she felt a hand resting on her shoulder and knew instinctively that it was Choji's. Though it may have calmed her down marginally it did not diffuse her fear and she looked on through almost hazy vision as Naruto slowly lost his fight with the death God.

"Tsunade-Sama"

"Tsunade-Shiso" came two different voices that were like the best sound that Ino or Tsunade had ever heard. There in the doorway were three figures. There were two women and a man. One of the women had on the long Kimono that she would often be found wearing and with longish black hair the first woman, Shizune entered the room and moved over to Tsunade's side.

The second woman was Sakura. She had on form fitting shorts that were black along with black sandals, she had on special medical issue Jonin vest that was cream in colour with a red cross on the left breast. Her hair was also longer now, reaching down to her shoulders and a bit more. She ran into the room and stood next to Ino and Choji, opposite Tsunade and Shizune.

Finally the male of the group came into the room, much quicker than he was known to move in the past. Kakashi entered the room with swiftness. He had changed drastically, he was once again garbed in the uniform of the ANBU and his mask was laying at his side. Another notable thing about him was that his hair had completely changed, it had turned pure white, just like his father's before him.

"Tsunade-Sama what happened to him!" Shizune almost yelled to her sensei who barely turned to her before barking an order.

"That doesn't matter Shizune, we have to save him or else he is dead!" Tsunade yelled and caused many of those around her to flinch at the way she had spoken and what she had said. Ino felt herself losing hope. Sakura and Shizune however dived into applying their healing chakra. They definitely had questions surrounding why Naruto was there and why he was in such a condition, but right now those questions could not be addressed.

Kakashi slipped his eye patch from his Sharingan eye and looked to Naruto's body when he noticed that there were no visible changes despite the amount of healing he was being subject to. Tsunade was almost completely exhausted already and Sakura and Shizune were slowly but surely depleting their own chakra. When he found out the cause he closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh.

"Hokage-Sama, it's useless, his own chakra is fighting back all of your healing chakra, his body is rejecting your healing" Kakashi said to the three women who all looked to him with shocked faces. Ino and Choji looked to him too Choji was shocked and Ino looked destroyed. They all looked to Naruto again to see his body sweating heavily, Kakashi hated to say it but he knew someone had to.

"I think it looks like its up to him if he wakes up or not" Kakashi said as softly as he could, trying his hardest to ignore the crushed looks of those around him.

* * *

><p><em>Well here is the next chapter, I hope you guys enjoy it as I am starting to really get into this story, aanyway enjoy, red and review if you could and I shall see you guys later in the next instalment of whatever I decide to write =] - Varrukh<em>


	4. Chapter 4 A Hero Slumbers

The last few days had been the most nerve-wracking of her entire life and she was really not enjoying it at all. Her body was back to premium condition again and she was fit enough to go back on active duty, yet she did not think it right to go just yet. There was someone she had to thank properly first and right now he was in his bed, sleeping. At least it was better than the alternative that most of those who were there a few days ago had thought.

It was scary to watch such a scene play out. She had never watched as someone as strong as Naruto was slowly decaying away right before her very eyes. Not only that but to watch as three of the most proficient medical Shinobi tried and failed to save the man from what appeared to be his death was also scary, it was like whatever Naruto was going through, there was no possible way to give him any help. He had to help himself as Kakashi had basically told them. She didn't like the thought that Naruto was fighting against the help that he was being given but after seeing his condition she wondered to herself honestly.

* * *

><p>"Naruto…" Ino barely whispered to the prone form that lay on the hospital bed. He was once again covered in bandages and pierced by many tubes but this time he was forcible restrained. "… what has happened to you? What could have possibly happened to you in the last five years?" Ino asked the man before her rhetorically. He did not stir, he did not move, his body simply continued to function, albeit almost grudgingly.<p>

"He has been through a lot" came a voice that seemed almost as pained as her own and when Ino turned around slightly she came face to face with the Hokage. She looked just as worried as Ino felt. Which did not help Ino conquer her own worries.

"What do you mean Tsunade-sama?" Ino asked, ignoring the fact that it was in fact the Hokage who was going to do Naruto's routine check-up today, although it had been a mixture between Sakura and Shizune up until now, the three of them obviously wanted to keep his chances high.

"Do you remember when Naruto came in here and reported a failed mission?" Tsunade asked to which Ino nodded her head. Of course she did, that was when everyone realised it was Naruto and then he had keeled over and all his injuries were revealed. Just thinking about it was making Ino feel queasy. "His failed mission was the retrieval of Sasuke Uchiha" Tsunade finalised at which Ino could only stare at her while her mouth tried to catch flies.

"So that means…" Ino began but was unable to finish as she looked to Naruto with pity in her eyes. How could he go on with such a thing on his conscience?

"Yes, Naruto witnessed the death of Sasuke" Tsunade finished as Ino's head jerked back up and looked into the amber eyes of her Hokage. The way she had worded that made it sound different from what Ino had been thinking, could it possibly be?

"When you say witnessed… it sounds like you are hinting that Naruto wasn't responsible" Ino said while at the same time trying to think of any scenario where Naruto would have to 'watch' Sasuke die, besides him having to do it himself.

"He wasn't well, not entirely, it was not his own fault…" Tsunade began as Ino looked up again hopeful towards her Hokage. Which honestly had Tsunade surprised, she didn't know that the Yamanaka had such care towards Naruto she would have thought the women to be this close to him to be between Hinata and Sakura. Not that they were not worried, by no means was that the case, Hinata broke down into tears when she saw the state of Naruto and when Sakura operated on him she too had to hold back tears when told her help was not reaching him.

"During his fight with Sasuke, Naruto and Sasuke fought together against Madara, unfortunately Sasuke took the hit from one of Madara's attacks that ended up killing him" Tsunade began as she could already feel the tears stinging at her eyes at the memory of that time, it truly was horrible. "Naruto watched this and through his grief and anger he held himself in check long enough to defeat Madara" Tsunade continued on as she got to the part that began the real pain in the story.

Ino stared at the Hokage in disbelief, the Hokage, the strongest Shinobi in the village, whose very name sends chills into the spines of their enemies. Was at that very moment and time crying. It was not just a weak cry with few tears, this was full blown pain, this was unbridled hurt the likes of which Ino had never seen on her Hokae's face.

"Tsunade-sama, what's wrong?" Ino asked as she tried desperately to get the attention of Tsunade who was wobbling now, Ino had to grab her and sit her down in a chair that was right next to Naruto's bed, after being seated she seemed to calm down slightly as she leaned her head on her hand that in turn leaned on the armrest of the chair. Her gaze fell upon Naruto again and Ino felt it the right time to reiterate her question.

"What's wrong Hokage-sama?" Ino asked tentatively, trying to make sure that Tsunade would not blow up again; it really was scary the way she was acting lately. Up until then she had been the usual Tsunade, but the instant Naruto was back she changed.

"Ino, that day, the day he watched Sasuke die…. That was the day that Naruto literally lost his mind" Tsunade answered leaving Ino to just stare at her, there was no way was there? How could Naruto have lost his mind? He was acting just like he always had when he had saved her and her team.

"But Tsunade-sama! Naruto was fine when he saved my squad and I, he acted just like he always had!" Ino answered back trying her hardest to deny the thought of Naruto actually breaking under any kind of pressure, he seemed too strong willed to let something like that get to him.

"Ino, you never knew Naruto, no-one ever knew Naruto, not even me, Kakashi, Sakura not even Jiraiya knew Naruto! The only one who ever understood Naruto was Sasuke as much as I hate to admit it. That brat done nothing but hurt Naruto, but at the same time he was all that kept Naruto from exploding. With his death Naruto lost his will to fight back his demons" Tsunade said as pain filled her voice with her every word. Ino was still only able to stare at her dumbly, she never knew Naruto? But of course she did, he was the academy dead last that proved he could ascend further than any of the other rookies could.

"Tsunade-sama, I did know Naruto, he was the man who could not be put down, who believed in himself when no-one else would, he was able to overtake every single one of our year group in leaps and bounds, I knew Naruto!" Ino affirmed more to herself than to Tsunade, it was then that Ino saw the glint of anger that moved across Tsunade's eyes and suddenly feared for her very life.

"You have no idea what you are talking about, you think you knew Naruto? Very well, tell me why he was treated like scum since the day of his birth? Tell me why he wore a mask of happiness? Tell me why he never came to anyone for comfort!" Tsunade yelled out while she sat in her seat, even in such a position she was an imposing figure.

Ino flinched at the way in which Tsunade was acting; it seemed almost protective while at the same time fierce. It was a conundrum in itself but that was what it seemed like. When Ino did not answer Tsunade she continued on herself.

"Naruto never came to anyone for anything, yet he was always there for those who needed his help, he was even there to save you and your team when you faced off against an S-ranked criminal. He used his new Jutsu that harmed him just as much as it did his enemy, but did he complain once? Nope, he just continued onwards." Tsunade began as she looked back at Naruto with warmth in her eyes, Ino swore it looked like a mother watching over her child.

"Then when Jiraiya died, again he seeked no-one out for comfort because he did not know who to go to, despite knowing that myself, Iruka or even Kakashi would listen to him, he never seeked any of us out, it was Iruka who went looking for him" Tsunade continued as she again felt the pain of the events in her heart, she honestly hated the life that Naruto had been forced to live. It was then that the only time she had ever seen Naruto weak popped into her head.

"The only time he has ever sought out anyone was after the Fourth Shinobi War ended, after the entire Zetsu army was decimated by a lone figure I knew that it was Naruto, it was then that he fell into my tent" Tsunade began as she began feeling the tears stinging at her eyes again. This was a horrible memory she wished she never saw, it was Naruto at his weakest and it was when Tsunade's heart felt closest to breaking.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Flashback<strong>_

Tsunade was currently in her tent. The night had come in and had ended the final day of the Fourth Shinobi War, it had only lasted a total of three days but it had been long and tiring and too many people had lost their lives. The war had ended due to some lone figure running through the mass of Zetsu's and utterly destroying them in every sense of the word. She smiled since she had a good idea as to who it was that accomplished such a feat, only one Shinobi did she know that could take on such odds with a good chance of winning.

Returning her thoughts from the blonde Shinobi that was no doubt resting in his own tent by now. She returned to the bane of her very existence, the paperwork. After a few moments she was ready to pack it all in but was stopped from doing so when she realised that if peace was to be kept as it was then this paperwork needed to be done.

It was only a few moments later that she heard voices outside her tent that seemed frenzied and worried at the same time if that even made any sense, Tsunade tried to tune it out but as it got louder and louder her curiosity got the better of her. Getting out of her chair she moved over to the flap of her tent and moved it aside and stepped out into the open campground. Looking for the source of the commotion she could see a large variety of people closing in on her but what scared her was the one in the centre of all of them.

Walking towards her, looking deader than she had ever seen anyone walking before. Was Naruto. His body was slowly trudging towards her as his head bobbed pathetically with his every movement. He was wearing the same clothing his father had done before him, even if he did keep the orange and black jumpsuit, everything he wore was tattered and scorched though. Add to that the numerous patches of blood that were seeping through his clothes, he looked like hell incarnate.

It was then that she noticed his intended target, as he moved close enough to touch her, he moved around her and into her tent, leaving Tsunade to stare at his back as he moved inside, everyone else stood outside the tent looking at Tsunade questioningly. She could only look back at them just as confused before her worry took over and she moved inside of her tent to see Naruto sitting on her bed and staring off into the distance without any obvious things occupying his vision.

Tsunade moved over to him carefully, this could always be a trick and she knew for a fact that if this was indeed Naruto then something had gone horribly horribly wrong.

"Naruto?" Tsunade asked as she tried to lean down slightly and look into his eyes, all she wanted to do was to see his oceanic blue eyes that seemed to wash away all worries. When he did not respond she moved around until she was next to him and sat down on the bed next to him.

"Naruto?" she reiterated as she encircled her arm around his waist, trying to show him that she was at least here and that he was not alone in whatever was bothering him. Then the one things that Tsunade would have never thought Naruto capable of happened. His arms flew into the air and grabbed Tsunade around her waist, but it was not forceful, it was more desperate, and after a few seconds of nothing Tsunade heard sobs and finally the movements as Naruto's body moved with the sobs, his tears coming thick and fast down his cheeks and onto her shoulder.

At a loss for what to say Tsunade done the only thing that seemed appropriate at the time. With Naruto's arms around her waist and holding her so desperately, but not tightly, she moved her arms and brought them around Naruto's neck and hugged into him, she stroked the back of his head soothingly as he continued to cry his soul out.

No words were spoken, none were required. To speak would destroy the delicate balance of things within their current predicament. Tsunade was not one to try anything that did not require being done in these situations. Add to the fact that the one man she believed would do as he had always done and soldier on, she realised just how selfish that sounded. It only reinforced her newfound desire to be there for the boy, to comfort him, to love him as he had never been given the opportunity in the past.

With these thoughts reaffirmed within her mind Tsunade hugged tighter into the man that was almost like both the son and grandson she had never had, just like he had been for Jiraiya she thought. It was only then that she noticed the irony of the situation, the way she was thinking, through Naruto, she and Jiraiya would have been perfect candidates of parents to the young man. Despite these thoughts bringing back memories long since hidden and emotions long since exerted Tsunade couldn't bear to break down in front of the already broken Naruto. He had never asked for anything before and what he was asking her without even speaking was plain to see.

He did not want to be alone throughout whatever it was that had happened. And since he had never asked her anything of this calibre before she was well prepared to take all the time he needed out of her life to comfort him. His body was heavy and it was only now that she was forced to realise the extent of his injuries. He had multiple gashes all across his body, many of them deep at that too.

It was not only the injuries that had her thinking ever so rapidly about the condition of the man who was hugging her so desperately. It was his physical conditioning too. His body was vastly muscular compared to what he had used to be, while this may seem like a bonus for the young man and admittedly it was. The speed with which he was forced to gain such strength and the amount of physical stress his body had been subject to put him at a dangerous level. Even with the powers of the Kyuubi's healing chakra that helped him regenerate at high speeds would have to be struggling after that.

It was ever so sudden that Tsunade noticed that no longer was her shoulder being reapplied with any warmth or moisture. His tears had stopped but his head had not moved from its position on her shoulder. Tsunade was content to leave him like that for however long he could possibly need before she heard the steady breathing of Naruto coming from her shoulder and realised that he was actually asleep. Tsunade just looked at him, she could not drag her eyes away from him, he had actually cried himself to sleep, as sad as it made her, she found solace in the fact that Naruto was spared the demons of the waking world for a while.

Tsunade softly moved him so that he was lying on the bed, to look at his almost peaceful face allowed Tsunade to forget about the fact that it was clear Naruto was going through some mental stress. When she did remember about this though, she felt a sense of sorrow and pity wash over her. Naruto was going through Hell, and from what she could guess, the only one even capable of keeping him sane was dead.

_**Flashback Ends**_

* * *

><p>Ino was left speechless. She had never thought about it like that before. Not once had she ever thought about the mental wellbeing of the lovable blonde. She had always seen him as mentally strong as he had always made himself out to be. He seemed to show that when he said to the entire rookie 11 that he would take care of Sasuke himself. He had exuded so much confidence and determination at the time that Ino honestly thought that he could both do it and get through it.<p>

She had never thought about how it may have affected Naruto and it was quite clear that it had in fact affected him terribly. Tsunade said that Naruto lost his mind when Sasuke died, lost his very mind, to Ino that was something that scared her without any explanation. To her losing one's mind was like forgetting everything of worth in life and forever going through the rest of life without any clear direction anymore. Truly an existence she did not want Naruto to have.

Ino was brought out of her trance when she felt the presence of figures in the room with her and Tsunade. Looking over to her Hokage she could see that the eyes which had previously been tear filled looked vicious and ready to strike. Thought Ino had seen Tsunade angry before, she had never seen such primal and predatory emotions pass over her face in the past and it showed Ino a side of her Hokage that she was definitely sure was the maternal side of her.

* * *

><p>"What do you want?" Tsunade asked fiercely towards whomever it was that had just entered the room, Ino honestly felt sorry for whoever it was, Tsunade did not sound like someone to mess with just now.<p>

"We came to pay our respects to the man that saved our daughters" came the slightly strong voice, it was one Ino knew very well and upon spinning around wildly she came face to face with the owner of that voice, her father. It was not only him though, accompanying him were the figures of Hinata and Kurenai and surprisingly enough Anko was there too.

"Why is Anko-san here? You aren't a mother are you?" Ino asked confused despite the current tense atmosphere that was surrounding the group of people, although it was mainly due to the glares that were being sent to everyone within the room from on Hokage. Needless to say many of them were highly considering running, but neglected to give in to their urges.

"No I'm here to thank the man that saved my cute little God-daughter" Anko answered back with one of her uncharacteristic true smiles that held no malice nor ill content. She didn't have to say much more really, with that statement and the smile everyone was more captivated to believe her in this one time. "That and I wanted to see what kind of hunk that kid turned into by now" Anko finished with her characteristic grin that exuded confidence.

Ino almost face faulted and hit the ground as did many of the other adults within the room. The trademark redness of Hinata began to cover over her face slowly as she thought about what Anko had just said. Kurenai giggled at the antics of her friend and Inoichi was left speechless for lack of a better phrase. The noise that was a gracious one to all of their ears was however the slight chuckle of their Hokage was was sitting with a hand over her mouth, containing her laughter.

"You know how to defuse a situation Anko, I was ready to fight just about everyone for a second there" Tsunade said as she stood on her two feet again, seemingly having her strength back. "I shall just finish my check-up on Naruto then leave you all be" Tsunade said as she done as she had said and went to work on Naruto's check-up. Once she was done she looked up with a smile on her face that revealed to them all a glimmer of hope that Naruto was actually going to be alright.

"Now Ino, I will give you leave from missions until Naruto gets better if I can ask you to make sure that you watch his condition for me please?" Tsunade almost implored the young woman that she had just walked up to. Tsunade stood at the exact same height as Ino and looked directly into Ino's eyes, making Ino stare into those amber orbs that seemed to be begging her to look after the man. Eventually she could not bear to see those eyes disappointed and gave in.

"Very well Tsunade-sama" Ino conceded and could see the relieved smile that crossed Tsunade's face as she spoke those words.

"Remember what I told you about him though, if he wakes up and it is only you here, do not try to smother him, just wait and talk to him, he has been damaged and he requires healing" Tsunade said to Ino and Ino only, no-one else within the room could hear her as she spoke to Ino. "Ino, Naruto is important to me and if you want to really know what he is really like, support him whenever it seems like he is close to breaking, he needs help more than anything right now" Tsunade finished before she smile to Ino and left the room, leaving many of those in the room confused to what had just transpired.

"So what is wrong with the kid?" Anko was the one to take the initiative and was the first to ask the question that all of them were desperate to get the answer to.

"Well, I can't really tell you because it is something that is really distressing to Naruto-kun and I would think it better if he was the one to tell you himself" Ino answered honestly, he had only saved her and to have learned what she had was a show of trust enough from Tsunade but she did not feel she had the right to give away such information so freely, and she would not. She did not need to worry about this however as Anko's eyebrows furrowed in a way that suggested inappropriate thoughts were running through her head, technically it was true.

"Naruto-KUN, is it? My my when did this happen, I mean he only got back three days ago and even then he was exhausted beyond anything we've ever seen him like" Anko said in a voice that suggested so many different things that Inoichi was desperately trying to keep his nose from unleashing its load of blood that was steadily building up.

Ino was left a spluttering mess after what Anko was insinuating. Which brought a delighted smile to the face of Anko; she was going to enjoy this.

"Well, he did save me from my almost certain death and he was never a bad person, I don't see any reason why I cant call him Naruto-kun" Ino answered the older woman back only to receive a smirk in return.

"So you don't think that he is a nice piece of material that you would love to have your own way with?" Anko asked with a smirk still in place and wriggling her eyebrows suggestively. "I know I definitely would" Anko added with a laugh that left no doubt to what she had just said.

"Anko-san, please keeps your desires in check until he is at least conscious, and don't be thinking you won't have any competition" Kurenai chided her friend before a smirk graced her face and everyone in the room almost face faulted again. Of all the people to say something like that, Kurenai was the least expected.

"The same goes for me Kurenai-sensei, Anko-san, I have waited for him long enough and I will not miss out on my opportunity" came the surprisingly confident sounding voice of one Hinata.

Inoichi found himself in the centre of a batch of women who were basically fighting over a man they knew so very little about. It was all about his looks that they wanted him to be their own. He would not voice such opinions however, he was not mad. It was then that he actually looked over to the figure that was Naruto, he had heard about the scare with him a few nights ago and feared for the life of the young man that had saved his daughters life. He had not properly thanked him for that yet. On inspection Inoichi seen that Naruto seemed to be doing ok physically.

"Thank you Naruto, for saving my daughter's life, I hope that your health recovers soon" Inoichi proclaimed to the prone form of the man in the bed before bowing his head and turning out the door again, back to his duties as clan head.

"We thank you for saving Kyoki, we know that you could have ever so easily left her there to die, but you saved her and we are eternally grateful" Kurenai said to the body with a smile on her face and bowed just as Inoichi had done. "And when you wake up, look up Anko Mitarashi of the Interrogation unit" Anko added in cheekily as Kurenai gave her a sideways glance and Anko merely laughed it off. Both women took one last look at the blonde on the bed before bowing and making their exit.

"Thank you for saving Hiku Naruto-kun, she has been trying her hardest to become a great Kunoichi and is even learning under myself and Neji. I thank you for saving one of the members of my clan as clan head. I also thank you as her carer, and adoptive mother, get better soon please Naruto-kun" Hinata almost begged him before bowing and following after everyone else.

* * *

><p>Ino realised that she was once again in the room herself with the blonde haired man and remembered Tsunade's plea for her to stay with Naruto to make sure that he was alright. She sighed as she realised she was actually in for some high amounts of discomfort if she was to stay in this place for a long period of time. Sitting down into the seat by Naruto's bedside she began what she believed would be a long watch, until her eyes gave out on her and she was asleep.<p>

* * *

><p>"Ino-chan?" a voice called out through the darkness and she was tempted to not even respond to the irritating noise that was impeding upon her sleep.<p>

"Ino-chan?" the same voice reiterated but this time her shoulder was gently shook and her eyes opened slightly to find what was the reason for her being awoken so rudely. Only then when she peered through the darkness of her lids did she realise.

"Naruto…" Ino said softly as the man before her smiled widely as she said his name.

* * *

><p><em>I sure do hope that this chapter did not suck, I got so into the scene with Tsunade that trying to bring it out of that scene may seem a bit forced and that's because it kinda is, sorry for my poor attempt at it but, I'm still relatively new to this. Anyway as always I ask that you enjoy this and I shall see you again in my next instalment of whatever I write =] - Varrukh<em>


	5. Chapter 5 A Hero Recovers

"Naruto…" Ino said almost not believing the sight before her very own eyes. There was Naruto with all of his bandages across his body standing before her, once again out of his bed when he should not be. Naruto smiled at her softly as she said his name and looked down at her sleepy form.

"Yes, it's me Ino-Chan, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home by now? I mean you like fine again" Naruto pointed out as his eyes looked over her form which even though Ino was still slightly sleepy did not stop the blush that came rushing to her face. The way his eyes looked over her body she felt it almost as if he was appreciating her very form.

"I was asked if I would watch over you until you got better Naruto-kun" Ino answered back once she had awoken enough and was finally able to talk again, Naruto looked at her and nodded his head in understanding. Once again there was silence within the room and all Ino could do was stare at the man who was opposite her. He was sitting on his bed while facing her but his attention was however directed towards the window of his room. Ino knew it to be childish, but she really would have preferred it if his eyes were again directed at her, she enjoyed his attention.

"Thank you Ino-Chan, I know that my actions a few days ago were nothing less than idiotic, I do thank you for taking care of me for so long" Naruto said as his gaze shifted from the window and back to Ino, she felt the heat travelling to her face and looked away bashfully, honestly what was wrong with her lately? Naruto hadn't even been back a week and she was acting like a love-struck teenager.

"It's no problem, you did save my own and my entire team's lives, I am in your debt" Ino answered him honestly. It was true, Naruto could have just as easily left them alone, he had no obligation to save any of them, yet he had done so and as such Ino felt it only right that she repay the debt for her and her entire team. She turned to Naruto when she heard chuckling coming from his direction to indeed see him laughing lightly.

"You don't have to repay me Ino-Chan, there is no way I would have left you all alone, that's just not me at all, and anyway, it was part of the mission too" Naruto said as his voice became somewhat darker by the end of his statement. Ino noticed this and was intrigued, there was clearly something about the mission that had Naruto thinking about it in the negative, of course not many Shinobi missions were enjoyable, but most were able to keep their minds off of their missions and their duties. Working up the courage Ino asked Naruto what she had been meaning to ask him ever since he had collapsed after reporting a failed mission.

"Naruto?" Ino asked tentatively, Naruto's head looked up at the calling of his name and Ino could see the confused look in his eyes due to the very way in which she had called his name. He however nodded his head to Ino telling her to continue with her question, knowing for a fact that it was a question she had. "What exactly was your mission?" Ino asked again very tentatively, she expected Naruto to pull away instantly and for him to put up some sort of mask that Tsunade had talked about in the past, but instead he simply sat there and stared at her, almost as if processing what she had just said.

"It's not exactly been one of the missions I have enjoyed, neither has it been a short mission" Naruto began as he stood up onto his feet and moved over to the window of his hospital room, looking out over the landscape of his home. "It was a mission to retrieve Sasuke" Naruto explained as he looked out the window and instantly Ino was on her feet, right next to Naruto.

"But Tsunade said that Sasuke was dead!" Ino said before she realised the words that had just escaped her mouth and covered her mouth up as fast as she could, but it was too late, she saw the hurt that crossed over Naruto's eyes. His eyes closed momentarily before they opened again and Naruto was looking at her with a slight smile on his face.

"That's true, the body of Sasuke Uchiha may have very well been dead, but his soul was still living on, it was trapped within his eyes, surely you have heard the phrase that the eyes are the window into the soul?" Naruto asked as his voice croaked slightly, it was only a slight croak but Ino heard it and knew that talking about Sasuke was tough for Naruto, but he was bravely continuing onwards. Ino nodded her head at Naruto's question and he continued on. "After Sasuke died, I refused to believe it and even after the war was over and peace had been found I could not accept his death, I had heard tale that Sasuke's burial site had been pillaged and went into a rage, it took Tsunade, Kakashi, Yamato, Killer Bee and the Raikage to stop me from going berserk" Naruto continued on, leaving Ino gaping at those last few words. It took that many powerful people to keep just Naruto from going berserk!

"I never knew that his grave was disturbed" Ino admitted, she had never heard anything like that, no-one that she knew besides those mentioned did, or they just never told her. Naruto looked to Ino with those dead and defeated eyes she hated to see on anyone.

"No-one else but those five knew, and it was to be kept that way, after that episode they all agreed it was safer to not let anyone know that the grave had been desecrated, otherwise words could be spoken and they knew I'd have no mercy" Naruto said in a dangerous voice, Ino was really worrying about Naruto, his emotions seemed to be in almost turmoil, he would be happy one moment, then sad, now he was angry.

"What was the worst though, was the very reason for his grave to be disturbed, when I was taken to the grave, his eyes…they were…" Naruto said before he could not continue onwards and his tears that he had been holding back so valiantly began to fall to the ground at his feet. Ino knew that her moment to act was here and done what seemed like the correct thing to do. She wrapped her arms around Naruto.

"They were stolen by that Haruza, weren't they?" Ino asked as she rested her head against his back, Naruto stiffened at the sudden contact behind him and was about to turn to her, but found he could not, the embrace was so comforting and he had gone far too long without any form of comfort being directed at him. As such he melted into the embrace and he relaxed. Ino felt him relaxing and smiled against his back; at least he was accepting her help.

"No, he did not steal Sasuke's eyes, he only had one of them. I don't know how it happened but his eyes were split between two people, I killed the first one without mercy and released half of Sasuke's soul to peace" Naruto explained at which Ino moved her head from his back and looked up to the form of Naruto still staring out of the window. "I got the first man within the first week of searching, it was Haruza that I was looking for after that" Naruto continued as his bodily posture seemed to straighten out.

"So it took you five years to find Haruza? Was he that good at hiding?" Ino asked, curious as to how it had taken Naruto quite so long to find the other owner of Sasuke's other eye. Naruto chuckled slightly at that and caused Ino to let go of him and wheeled him around to face her. "Why are you laughing! I thought you were supposed to be hurting!" Ino asked, and honestly did not know why she was getting so worked up about this.

"I am laughing because you make it seem almost easy; it is hard to know who had a Sharingan especially if they can conceal it like the Uchiha's could. Also, it was not only Sasuke's Sharingan that were stolen, Madara's lab that held hundreds of Sharingan was pillaged too, meaning that there were many Shinobi far and wide that had Sharingan" Naruto explained as he looked down at the flustered form of Ino. "Yes, I am hurting over this Ino, but you wanted to know, and I thought you would at least understand if I tried to lighten the mood" Naruto said to her in a somewhat annoyed tone.

"I do understand, but you shouldn't lie to yourself for my sake!" Ino cried back as Naruto was taken aback by the sheer ferocity in which Ino had spoken. Soon the tears reappeared and Naruto felt unsteady on his feet. Falling back slightly he felt Ino pushing against his weight to try and support him, she softly moved backwards with him until they were near the bed, then she moved and let Naruto sit back down on the bed.

"You should stay in your bed if you are not able to stand yet Naruto-kun" Ino said in a very caring manner that had Naruto looking at her in wonder. She showed so much care for him, it was something he enjoyed, to have someone care about him was not something he was overly used to, the only ones he knew that really did care about him, at full capacity were Tsunade, Kakashi and Sasuke. To have Ino acting as if she cared just as much made Naruto feel happy, very happy indeed.

"I don't have to lie to myself too much now Ino-Chan, Sasuke is finally at peace, my mission is complete" Naruto said as he moved on his bed until he was sitting on it with a space next to him which he patted and indicated that Ino sit next to him, which she complied with. What she had not expected to happen was for Naruto to lean over and grab her shoulders, pulling her towards him she was suddenly pulled against his tough chest. She was scared at first with the action but smiled when she looked up and saw his eyes closed and a happy smile on his face, if this made him happy then she would happily oblige too.

They both sat in silence for a long time. They had not moved from their embrace, Naruto had made no motion to move and Ino had yet to find any better place to be than where she was at that moment and time, his arms just promised her some many things. Safety, strength and caring. What more could she really ask for?

"Thank you for caring so much Ino-Chan, not very many people have made me feel quite as happy as you've managed to make me feel right now" Naruto said to her as her face lit up in happiness. There was something about his happiness that was worrying her though, she had seen the way in which Naruto's emotions had jumped when he was explaining his mission to her and she worried if his mind had maybe been compromised, and just now he seemed to be fine though. She would be keeping a watch on him as she had been asked to do.

"That's alright Naruto, I promise I will care for you just like I always should have, you don't have to think that you are all alone anymore" Ino said as she hugged into him tighter, closing her eyes at the same time. Naruto smiled at her words and hugged into her closer.

"Ino-Chan?" Naruto asked softly causing said woman to look up at him with a genuine smile on her face, this caused Naruto to smile internally too, despite his warring emotions in his head, that smile made him feel slightly at ease. "Do you mind sleeping with me tonight? I don't want to sleep alone because I have been doing that for too long now, and I think you would prefer something better than that chair" Naruto said softly, he was not even trying to insinuate anything with his words. He genuinely did not want to go to sleep alone tonight, his dreams were always bad alone and the few times he was with someone, they were usually calmer.

Ino looked at him for a few moments and could see by his very demeanour that he was not trying to pull anything funny, he just wanted company, and she would not deny that the invitation did make her slightly happy too. "Sure Naruto-kun" Ino answered softly before she climbed onto the bed next to Naruto.

As she manoeuvred on the bed Naruto moved to give her the space she required and only when she seemed comfortable did he lay down again. Ino was close to sleeping when she felt his arms once again wrapping around her, turning around slightly she could see that he was not even awake when he had done that, he had literally held onto her in his sleep, she smiled at the sweet gesture and snuggled into him before again trying to sleep herself. Soon enough she too was asleep.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Few Hours Later<strong>_

"Any reason that you are here and not in your bed?" Tsunade asked out into the apparently empty room of her office. From her left near the window a figure came out of the shadows and moved over to the front of her desk. There before her stood Naruto. He was fully clothed again and looked ready to work, like hell that was going to happen.

"Come on Baa-Chan, you know how much I hate hospitals" Naruto said with his trademark foxy smile that had Tsunade smiling herself, honestly the durability of this kid scared her sometimes, to think that less than half a week ago his health was in question just went on to show her how strong this man before her was. She knew for a fact that if he still had his dream of becoming Hokage, it was within reach now.

"Yes I do, but you are supposed to stay in there until you are all better…are you all better?" Tsunade asked, truly unsure if he was here with his injuries healed or if he had just forced his body to move to where it was right now.

Naruto removed his top half of clothing without any words, much to what Tsunade was not expecting, but it did help make things clearer. She could see that he had definitely been busy over the years, his body was a finely tuned machine now, but it was crisscrossed with far too many scars for someone his age. His chest was a maze of cuts and a few large scars that looked like impact areas.

"Happy Baa-Chan? My body made a full recovery last night" Naruto explained at which Tsunade could only stare at him in disbelief, how could it be possible that his body make such a rapid recovery after the state he had been in over the last week or however long his body had actually been in that condition.

"How is this possible?" Tsunade asked as she got up and moved over to Naruto, she moved her hand over his body to make sure that it was not a farce but could detect no traces of anything covering over his body. It was true, Naruto had made a full recovery even though with the way it had looked a few days ago, he may have actually died.

"I don't know" Naruto answered honestly, he had no earth of an idea how it had happened either, he just woke up with a body that did not hurt in the slightest, with a warm body pulled against his own, he smiled when he realised it was Ino.

"Well, it does seem like your body has made a full recovery, after my inspection it does not appear like you are in any fatal risk, I would just advise that you take it easy for a while ok?" Tsunade said as she moved around her desk to sit down again and then looked up to Naruto. "Now, what was the real reason that you were here for?" Tsunade asked as she looked to the form of the man that now smiled down on her.

"Well I have missed out on quite a bit over the last five years so I was wondering if there were any of my friends that were out on missions just now." Naruto asked as he smiled and closed his eyes while he rubbed the back of his head. Tsunade looked at him for a few seconds before a smile of her own appeared and she looked at the pile of papers next to her. Looking through the papers Naruto watched quietly waiting for her to reply to him before he felt a gust of air behind him and immediately ducked.

* * *

><p>"NARUTO!" two voices shouted out causing Tsunade to look up from her paperwork at the sudden screaming within her room, it was funny, she hadn't even heard her door opening, she was definitely getting too old for this. Sakura and Ino both stood back to back with their arms outstretched and their fists tightly clenched, and with Naruto being against her desk and the name they had shouted Tsunade had a good idea why they were here.<p>

"I just told him not be too strenuous on himself and you both try to attack him, I really am getting too old for this" Tsunade said while the two girls looked at her apologetically.

"Sorry Tsunade-Sama but Naruto scared us when Ino woke up and didn't know where he was and I went in to check on him and he had disappeared, we thought he'd be here" Sakura explained while she glared at Naruto, in all honesty it was not a hateful glare, more the type one uses when they have been scared over something that means a great deal to them.

"I'm just glad that he is alright" Ino said and it was true, she had thought he had done a runner when she woke up without him behind her. Then Sakura had walked in and they both got worried and rushed over to the Hokage tower, and that lead up to where they were just then.

"So, Baa-Chan, where is everyone?" Naruto asked as he once again turned to Tsunade who was smiling at the scene before her, it was cute to see that he was oblivious to the amount that he clearly meant to the two women, even after going through such emotional turmoil, maturing greatly over the last five years, he was still really dense when it came to things like women.

"You are in luck Gaki, all of your friends from the academy are actually in the village just now, as for where they are, I don't have a clue, wherever they usually are I guess" Tsunade said as she shrugged her shoulders, it was the truth, she only knew where they were on missions not when they were within the village that was their own business.

"I can take Naruto around, after all he hasn't been home since Konoha was rebuilt, he won't know where things are anymore" Ino pointed out as she moved beside Naruto. Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, he did kind of forget about that bit.

"Very well Ino, Sakura, you may have the rest of the day off to get reacquainted with Naruto" Tsunade told her student who looked at her happily. "Thank you Tsunade-Sama" Sakura smiled before she walked over to the other side of Naruto. Both she and Ino took one of Naruto's arms and lead him out of the office, leaving a grinning Tsunade.

"Please bring him back in one piece girls, he is only back and he has only just recovered he does need some rest" Tsunade said out loud to no-one in particular.

* * *

><p>"That's true, it's amazing he has recovered quite as he had, especially since his life was in question three days ago" came a voice from Tsunade's window to which she turned to and found Kakashi perched on the window sill.<p>

"How long have you been there?" Tsunade asked neutrally at which Kakashi just simply eye-smiled and held out four envelopes, each with a stamp of varying colour and logo.

"Long enough, but other matters are the reason that I am here" Kakashi said rather urgently for a man like himself. Tsunade caught on to his urgency and immediately took the letters from him.

"What are these?" Tsunade asked Kakashi who moved into the room by now and stood opposite her while she sat in the chair at her desk.

"They are letters indicating to you that the Tsuchikage, Kazekage, Raikage and Mizukage are all on their way here and wish to see Naruto ASAP when they get here" Kakashi said while not noticing the tick-mark that appeared on Tsunade's head.

"What the hell was the point in giving me the letters if you already knew!" Tsunade yelled causing Kakashi to sweat drop.

"That's because I gave a general overview, whereas the letters are all different depending on who sent them, I only told you what they all were basically saying together" Kakashi answered as he took baby steps towards the window, really wanting to make a hasty retreat now.

"I suppose that does make sense, so how well do you really think Naruto has recovered?" Tsunade asked without even looking up, she knew for a fact that the same thing was one Kakashi's mind as was on hers. The sigh that she heard moments after asking that question only reinforced her superstitions.

"I think he's put up his mask to try and hide his pain, and he won't let it slip, especially not around his friends, and we both know how well he can hide things. Those seals all across his body were used to hide all of his injuries and some of those injuries were definitely very old" Kakashi said as Tsunade nodded her head in agreement. When Naruto had fallen, unknown to all but herself and Kakashi, they had seen the dull glow of seals being released and that was when the injuries were clear to be seen.

"I still don't understand why he hid his injuries like that? He was always such a quick healer" Tsunade said to the silver haired Jonin honestly and he nodded his own head this time.

"I think I do Tsunade-Sama, although it will not sound like the best of things I can say about my student" Kakashi admitted receiving a look from Tsunade, she had a feeling she was not going to like this but would listen to him nonetheless, of course he would know more about Naruto than her, he taught Naruto for a short while. She nodded her head despite her unwillingness to do so.

"I believe that after each successive fight Naruto fought he did not give his body the required time to heal, nor did he give it the time to get rid of any poisons within his bloodstream. What I am saying is that Naruto has fought more than half of his opponents at half strength" Kakashi began as Tsunade sat and listened to him, she didn't like it but she would have to accept it for now. "I think that after the episode where he almost became the Nine-tails personified he blocked off the Nine-tails completely, even its healing ability and with it being so closely linked to his own healing, it basically shut down his body's ability to heal" Kakashi finished and Tsunade had to admit that she did agree with Kakashi's analogy, that did make some sense.

"How does he do it? I mean how can he put up a mask of happiness when he knows that those around him love him enough to care about him even if he is sad? He doesn't have to prove himself to anyone, even the villagers that once hated him have come to respect him" Tsunade said as her voice croaked slightly, she really hated the way Naruto was acting now, it was not the way she knew him to be.

"Naruto is over considerate of those he cares about, to the extent that he does not want to make them sad whenever he is, when everyone is happy he tries to fool himself into thinking that he is too" Kakashi said as he looked out of the Hokage office's window down onto a pathway that currently had Naruto, Ino and Sakura walking down it. "Whereas internally he is damaged, I don't even need to be a Yamanaka and look through his mind to know that it is damaged, Sasuke meant too much to Naruto for him to simply accept he is gone" Kakashi continued as he turned on Tsunade and a look of determination the likes Tsunade had never seen on Kakashi covered his face.

"Tsunade-Sama as disrespectful as this may sound neither you nor Naruto were correct about Naruto's mission" Kakashi said in a voice that exuded confidence along with sorrow. "You said to Ino Yamanaka that Naruto failed in his mission to retrieve Sasuke, that may very well have been true, but that had happened before he left for this mission that has taken him five years. Tsunade-Sama Naruto's mission was to save Sasuke's soul that had been stolen in the form of his eyes, and he succeeded, Sasuke's soul can now rest in peace because of what Naruto has done for him" Kakashi finished off as he once again was staring at the figure of Naruto.

"He does not believe that though, he thinks that he failed" Tsunade said sadly bringing Kakashi's attention back to her again and he had to admit that she was correct, Naruto did not believe he had succeeded, instead he felt he had failed.

"Send him to me, I will talk to him, I'll help him however I possibly can" Kakashi said as he turned on the spot and moved over to the window he had previously entered. "I will be at training ground 7" Kakashi finished before he Shunshined away. Tsunade looked down at Naruto as he walked with both women at his sides, she wished she could smile at the sight as she had earlier, but she was reminded that what she saw was partly a façade.

"ANBU, please retrieve Naruto and take him to the training ground Kakashi will be at, and please apologise to Ino and Sakura for me" Tsunade asked as an ANBU with a hawk mask appeared in her room, nodded his head and once again disappeared.

* * *

><p>Naruto had been walking with the two women for a while now and was beginning to wonder where it was they were exactly taking him, he had thought that a tour of the village would entail him seeing all the new things. He had seen many new things but knew nothing of them yet, if this was a tour it was done very poorly.<p>

"Naruto, what's wrong you've been awfully quiet?" Sakura asked as she tugged on his left arm and Ino looked up at him too, noticing that he had been quiet for some time too, and then she looked at Sakura due to the way that she was acting around Naruto. _Oh how things change_ Ino thought to herself.

"Oh nothing Sakura-Chan, just been looking at all the new stuff, Konoha sure has changed in the last few years" Naruto said as he plastered a smile on his face that made Sakura blush slightly at the attention she was given, she didn't think Naruto would be quite so nice after things that happened in the land of Iron.

Right before them a puff of smoke appeared and from it emerged an ANBU with a hawk mask. Naruto looked at the man before he removed Ino and Sakura's grip from his person, even if both women done so unhappily.

"What is the problem ANBU-San?" Naruto asked politely to which the ANBU bowed slightly before he answered, taking Ino and Sakura by surprise.

"Naruto-Sama, I have been asked to take you to Kakashi-Senpai at training ground 7 by order of Hokage-Sama, she also sends her apologies to Ino-San and Sakura-San, the matter is extremely urgent" The ANBU answered at which Ino and Sakura looked at each other worriedly, what was so wrong that Kakashi had to urgently see Naruto?

"Very well, sorry Ino-Chan, Sakura-Chan, looks like I have to go and see Kakashi-sensei; I'll talk to you guys later!" Naruto said as he turned to them and gave them both an earthshattering smile that had both women struggling not to give him one back only larger. And with that Naruto was gone in a yellow flash, leaving all three of them staring at where he had once been.

"Wasn't tha?..." Sakura began only for the ANBU to finish what she had been saying. "…the fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God technique" that had definitely caught all of them unawares, who would have thought that Naruto could perform yet another of the Fourth's techniques.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Training Ground 7<strong>_

"Kakashi-Sensei, how can I help you?" Naruto asked as he appeared before his old sensei who was currently leaning against a tree with his usual orange book out. When Naruto posed his question Kakashi finally looked up at Naruto.

"Ah yes, I brought you out here because I wished to talk to you but I realise that talking might not be the therapy that you need, the haste with which you came here indicates to me that you may be stressed and as such we shall not talk….yet" Kakashi said as he placed his book within a pouch at his waist and brought his hand to his front, into position. Naruto could see where this was going and as such moved into the Hyuga stance.

"I see that talking might only worsen your mood, but I knew you always enjoyed a good spar and as such we shall fight until all of your stress is relieved Naruto, come on give me it all!" Kakashi yelled as he stood in his position waiting for Naruto to make a move, he did not.

"Naruto I know you are in pain, you ar a fool if you think I cannot see it! If you do not unleash it you cannot hope to keep those you care about safe, direct it all at me! I am the only man who can hope to withstand it all!" Kakashi yelled before Naruto's hands came up to his head and he screamed out in pain.

"Kakashi sensei!" Naruto roared as his head snapped up and Kakashi could see the eyes with concentric circled and tomoe. The red chakra swirled all around Naruto and suddenly he was right before him in a flash of red, with his hand stretched back ready to strike…

* * *

><p><em>Thank you all who have been reading this and adding it to favourites and such it does make me feel good to know people are enjoying this. I also hope I cleared up any confusion that may have been raised with Naruto's actual mission, if I have not let me know and I shall clear things up in later chapters=] anyway I hope you guys don't think I'm jumping all over the place, I know I might seem like it but I'm trying to see it as being a time where they have to work quickly to deal with the changed Naruto, kind of why I had Naruto almost instantly meet up with Kakashi there at the end. Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter and continue to enjoy future ones as I bring them out =] as always R&amp;R please and I shall see you next time =] - Varrukh<em>


	6. Chapter 6 Back To Normal

Had his senses been any less finely tuned than they were Kakashi had no doubt that at that moment and time his head may very well have had a very large dent in its surface. He had seen the red flash appear in front of him and only just in time did he manage to duck under the fist that had come straight towards him. Naruto had not stopped however as his fist passed over Kakashi his other one was also performing actions.

Naruto's other hand came shooting towards Kakashi completely coated in the red chakra that was still all over his body and aimed his palm towards Kakashi's stomach. "Hakke Kusho!" Naruto yelled as he expelled all of the chakra built up into his hand and sent a huge plume of pressureised air into Kakashi's stomach. Kakashi felt the full force of the attack and was propelled backwards. Only for his form to shimmer before turning into a fall of water.

"Mizu Bunshin…" Naruto contemplated before turning on the spot and looking into the very water at the edge of the land that he stood. Without moving he simply raised his right hand and brought it down again in quick succession, smashing the ground with chakra applied to his punch. A crack formed and made its way to the shoreline where it then descended to the ground under the water. Eventually a mushroom of water leapt upwards with the form of Kakashi flying out with it.

"Nice trick Kakashi-Sensei, but you will have to try better than that!" Naruto yelled to his former teacher as he once again rushed towards the Jonin. Kakashi looked at Naruto again and had to hold back an eye smile. If it wasn't for the circumstances in which Naruto had gained such ability and their current predicament, Kakashi would have been happy to simply congratulate Naruto on his achievement in surpassing him.

Kakashi landed on solid ground once again to see Naruto charging at him, he did not disappear in a slash this time though. Kakashi was surprised at first until he realised that Naruto was currently doing one handed seals with both hands while he ran. Kakashi almost fell over when he recognised the seals. "No way …" was all Kakashi could say before his suspicions were indeed confirmed. As Naruto closed in his hands were covered in the shining and sparkling forms of Chidori. Kakashi just stared at Naruto before his base functions kicked in and he dodged a strike otherwise intended for his chest.

Naruto's back was open to Kakashi at that moment and he brought down his hand in a chopping motion in order to get his shoulder that was currently exposed to him. Applying chakra so that it would have at least some form of effect against Naruto Kakashi brought his hand down hard. What he had not anticipated was for Naruto's body to so nimbly work around his hand, with Naruto now directly in front of him and his own arm outstretched Kakashi was staring death in the face as his own jutsu came screeching towards his face.

The screeching noise was so close to his face, yet he felt no pain of being hit at all, opening his eyes that he just realised were closed Kakashi was looking directly at a hand pointed right at him, two fingers pointing in his direction with the energies of lighting coursing all over the surface of the hand.

"You better start taking this seriously Kakashi-sensei, if you want to take all of my pain and anger I am not going to hold back" Naruto said to his instructor as an almost sadistic smirk crossed over his features. Kakashi nodded his head knowingly, he had just had a close call there just now, despite his refined skills over years of being a Shinobi he had almost been beaten so easily, he was once again stopping himself for congratulating his student as he so wished to do, this was a time to vent not impress.

* * *

><p>Kakashi reached up to where his Konoha headband covered over his Sharingan eye and removed it. Naruto stared at the red eye with black designs before his smirk returned, Naruto could see the black designs of his eyes and they were symbolising how seriously Kakashi was taking him now. He raised his right hand up to over his mouth and inhaled deeply while never once taking his eyes off Naruto. Then moving his hand away slightly he exhaled again deeply over his hand, from his mouth a stream of wind moved and went on to cover Kakashi's hand. As it done so and the last of the wind exited Kakashi's mouth, the wind began to screech as if unhappy about being out in the actual world.<p>

Kakashi whipped his hand behind him before he sped over to where Naruto was standing simply staring at him. Bringing his hand upwards again in a chopping motion Kakashi tried to bring his hand across Naruto's chest only for Naruto to casually capture Kakashi's outstretched hand within his own. Kakashi was left staring at the man that was once his student, no longer was he a knucklehead, nor a dead last, no, he was a master Shinobi. There were very few people that could stop the Screaming Slash. Even fewer still that could do so with their bare hands, Kakashi looked to his student with pride, he had certainly improved, but that was by far not the best Jutsu he had within his arsenal.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei, I thought I was the one supposed to be venting out?" Naruto asked as he looked to the somewhat sheepish face of Kakashi, finding it rather funny. Suddenly Naruto's light hearted tone disappeared and Kakashi felt force acting upon his body he had known only a few times. Fear, indescribable, unmissable, unbridled fear. "I think I am the one that's supposed to be venting out!" Naruto almost yelled as he cast Kakashi away very easily, leaving Kakashi standing on one of the trunks of a tree.

Naruto raised his right hand into the air as his vision never once left Kakashi's form. In his hand a Rasengan began to form. Kakashi took notice of the lack of shadow clones and guessed that Naruto must have finally figured out how to create the Rasengan without them, with a proud nod Kakashi dropped from the tree trunk to the ground again and prepared a Rasengan of his own, fight fire with fire and whatnot.

It was only then that Kakashi realised there was something very, very different between the Rasengan that he was charging in comparison to the one that Naruto was charging up. First of all being that Kakashi's was simply a normal Rasengan of size capable of fitting in his hand, regular size. Naruto's was much larger than he had ever seen a Rasengan before, the thing was already larger than Naruto himself and yet he was holding it above his head so effortlessly. The next thing that Kakashi noticed to his horror was the things surrounding the Rasengan, water was being dragged out of the small lake, wind was being sucked right out of the air, fire was being spontaneously ignited, lightning was running from his opposite hand onto the Rasengan and there was plenty of earth rising upwards to meet with the Rasengan. Then came to most terrifying thing in Kakashi's opinion. The thing was black, pure midnight black, and not only that but all the different elemental affinities that Kakashi never knew Naruto to have, were being sucked into it. This was really going to suck.

Naruto roared as the last of the different affinities were sucked into the black Rasengan that he had been forming, the thing was massive, it was at least twice the size of him, but the density of the object in his hand was something unimaginable. Just holding it together was draining him of his chakra. He could waste no time and went straight for the kill.

"Kakashi-sensei, meet the perfect form of the Rasengan! Yami Rasengan!" Naruto yelled as he brought the ball of black energy down onto the ground where Kakashi was standing. For a second nothing happened at all, then an explosion of previously unknown magnitude ripped out from the epicentre of the impact area, causing many of the closest trees to tear free of their roots and fly away with the amount of wind produced.

Whole areas of land that used to be training ground 7 were uprooted and currently Naruto was standing upon one of the highest pieces of land that had been upturned, looking out over their battleground, hoping he hadn't killed his sensei, after all he said he could take all of Naruto's pain. Well he condensed it all into that ball.

"My, my, well that was dangerous, if I hadn't been taught this technique by the Raikage, I may be dead right now" Kakashi joked right behind Naruto, causing the young man to turn slowly with a smile on his face. He was met with the sight of Kakashi standing behind him with no clothing on his body, the top half at least, replacing that however were the roiling energies that were lightning all over his torso. Although somehow his mask was still on his face, that thing just had to be made of adamantium or something.

"Good to see I didn't kill you Kakashi-sensei, that would have hurt if you died" Naruto said in a half joking half serious manner that Kakashi didn't know quite how to take but just went with his best bet.

"ah don't worry about it, though that was some scary technique" Kakashi admitted as he stared off in the distance at the wreckage of the training ground, Tsunade was going to have his balls for this. "Feeling any better then?" Kakashi asked as he directed his attention back to the blonde haired man who was standing opposite him, staring into the trees.

"Much better, but you see, I got rid of all that negative feeling in my mind, but I still have a lust for a good fight, I really haven't had one for a while, do you mind Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked as he looked directly at Kakashi and he could see those oceanic blue eyes that seemed to be pleading with him on their own. It was final Naruto was finally back, Kakashi could not have been happier.

"I'll spar with you, on one condition" Kakashi said as Naruto looked at him confused before Kakashi continued. "You must remove your shirt too" Kakashi finished simply at which Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and jumped backwards.

"Kakashi-sensei! I'm not that into you!" Naruto responded in a fearful tone that had Kakashi waving his hand in front of himself, desperately trying to defuse the situation that was not what he meant.

"No, no. Naruto we both know that I have a form of 'fan-club' shall we say and if they are to see me without torso clothing, they shall be ravenous, that is just a scary thing to see, so if we both are the same, attention may be directed away from me and shall be divided between us" Kakashi reasoned at which Naruto looked at him suspiciously Kakashi sighed. "Admittedly that's the first time I've had to use that technique when I did not have a spare shirt or something with me, it seems to have a way of destroying clothing only on the top half…actually thank god for that it's only the top half" Kakashi finished after thinking of some scary thoughts including him running away naked from a barrage of women.

"Ok Kakashi-sensei, but we will be sparring with no holding back alright, I want to see how you've improved as much as you want to see how well I've done!" Naruto chimed out as he turned on the spot and looked over his shoulder. "We can also test out who is the fastest user of the different Thunder techniques" Naruto said before his entire torso was covered in lightning and his clothing all disappeared, leaving him in only his black Shinobi pants and black battle sandals.

Jumping over to the opposite side of the ravine created by his darkness Rasengan Naruto turned back to look at Kakashi. "Remember, no holding back!" Naruto yelled over to his former sensei. Kakashi nodded his head before the lightning reignited over his body and he charged two Chidori in his hands.

"Let's Go!" Naruto yelled as he mirrored Kakashi's movements and was also covered in lightning with two Chidori's charged, both closed in on each other roaring.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Few Hundred Metres Away<strong>_

"Hey what's going on?" Ino half whispered half yelled to the pink haired woman who was currently standing on her shoulders, trying to look over the new piece of terrain in the area, a very large rock where once the path used to be. Ino's body was beginning to groan under the strain of Sakura's weight and she considered dropping her.

"Well Kakashi-sensei and Naruto-kun are fighting and have basically destroyed the training grounds" Sakura answered as she leapt down from Ino's shoulders, much to her happiness. "If we move up into the trees we should get a better view of their fight" Sakura added as she began to casually walk up the side of one of the trees right to the top, Ino close behind her.

Once they had reached the summit of the trees they stared out across the destroyed landscape with jaws hitting the ground again almost. In the ravine that had been created they could see lightning discharges ringing out as blows were being directed from two different sources at each other. There were no clear discernible figures amongst the flashes of light, but they could definitely tell that it was two powerful adversaries were fighting it out.

"Those two are scary" Ino pointed out as she watched Kakashi and Naruto leaping from wall to wall in the ravine, placing blows all over the place, with lightning discharges shooting off afterwards. Sakura turned to her friend after what she had said with an almost knowing smile.

"After Naruto-kun disappeared Kakashi-sensei felt like a complete failure to us all. Sasuke was dead and it looked like Naruto was going rogue, he trained himself for so long after Naruto-kun left, he worked himself into the ground so many times just so that he could get stronger…" Sakura began as she continued to stare out onto the battle between the two men; her sudden pause had Ino turning to look at her.

"What's wrong Sakura?" Ino asked when she saw that Sakura was watching the two men with interest at the highest level Ino had ever saw Sakura look in Naruto's direction. Sakura's jaw opened but no words came out and only when Ino hit her on the shoulder did Sakura finally find the function to talk again.

"Sorry, Kakashi-sensei was trying his hardest to get stronger so that he could retrieve Naruto, he had seen how strong Naruto was by the end of the war and knew he would have to be vastly powerful to even try to get close to Naruto" Sakura finished off as she still stared at the fight, it was really starting to irk Ino greatly.

"Very well you answered one of my questions, now here another one, why are you not even looking at me when you talk to me?" Ino asked as a tick mark appeared on her head. Still Sakura refused to answer her and Ino was ready to hit Sakura again until her hand was suddenly caught. She turned her gaze to look and found that none other than Neji Hyuga was standing there stopping her from hitting Sakura.

"Ino-san I do believe that her excuse would be the same as many of your fellow Kunoichi here as to the reason why they are not able to draw their eyes away from the battle" Neji answered with an almost amused voice, somewhat weird but ever since the Chunin exams he had been improving towards being more open and outgoing. Ino raised her eyebrow at his words and looked around her to find that there were actually a fair amount of Shinobi surrounding hers and Sakura's position, at varying levels of trees just above the highest peaks of rubble.

On closer inspection Ino found that most of the rookie 11 was there along with many of the Jonin Sensei's and along with the Hokage and Shizune. She could also see the looks that many of the Shinobi were giving the fight; it was a mix of fear and admiration with overwhelming respect. When she looked to the Kunoichi however she found that many of their jaws were hitting the floor and that their eyes were betraying a hunger she had never seen in many of their eyes before, save maybe Anko.

It was only then that Ino finally looked to where all of the commotion was coming from. Once she finally focused in on the battle she found the reason that so many of the Kunoichi could not take their eyes off of the fight. First and foremost amongst them was the clearly obvious level of power and skill posed by both men, it was a battle like no other where their strikes seemed to rind out amongst the very earth. The second reason was the fact that both men were fighting so harshly, without clothes covering their torso.

For the older generation of Kunoichi they were given the sight of one of the strongest Shinobi in the village who his himself behind a mask, despite the fact it was still there somehow, without any clothing on his torso and by god they approved the sight wholeheartedly. His body was not rippling with muscles but they were not in short supply, his build was strong and at the same time lean, showing how his body was as agile and flexible as it was.

The one who held everyone's eyes though, even some of the older generation was Naruto though. His body was on par with Kakashi's if not even better; the eye candy that he provided for every Kunoichi had them all almost drooling while staring at his chest. It was an almost exact same build to Kakashi's but had many numerous scars across it that seemed like a maze, not easily solved.

* * *

><p>Neji left Ino and Sakura to their staring and went to join his team, where admittedly Tenten was simply staring at the scene too but he had Rock Lee who was standing still watching the fight with deep concentration. The most notable difference about Rock Lee after such a huge expanse of time will have to be down to the fact that his previous exuberance had died down slightly, he no longer had his bowl-cut but instead allowed his hair to grow out a bit.<p>

"Neji-kun, are you watching this fight with just as much respect as I?" Lee asked his teammate as he came to a rest next to Lee. Neji looked to his teammate with a smile; ever since he had lost his exuberance Neji had been able to strand Lee more and more until they were as close as comrades could possibly be, verging on brotherhood.

"I think I may be Lee, this fight has got so much fighting prowess and skill behind it that I would love to have my own opportunity to fight either of them" Neji answered as they watched Naruto and Kakashi clash and stop dead in their tracks, trying their hardest to force against each other for dominance. The roiling energies of the lightning showed up the sheer amount of power being used at that moment and time.

"I thought that Naruto-kun only had an affinity for wind?" Lee asked his comrade as Neji himself had also wondered about that, he turned to his comrade and shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows, I mean this is Naruto we're talking about here, the man who could take on a prodigy and win" Neji answered Lee remembering when Naruto had beat him through sheer determination when no-one believed it possible.

They both watched as Naruto and Kakashi pushed against each other at a great amount of force and caused their opposite to fly off in the opposite direction. Naruto ended up landing on the wall of the ravine while Kakashi landed on the floor of the ravine looking up at Naruto. Naruto raised both of his hands up to the heavens and thunderclouds began to form over them, everyone even the Kunoichi took notice of this.

Ino watched as the strongest Lightning technique she had ever seen was being prepared once again. She gasped when she realised just how serious the fight was getting but dared not interrupt, lest she trample on the honour of Kakashi, the man must have been doing this for a reason.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Back With Naruto And Kakashi <strong>_

"Seems like we have an audience now Naruto!" Kakashi yelled up at the blonde haired man who was standing on the side of the ravine's wall. Naruto looked out the corner of his eye and could see that indeed there was many different Shinobi of the leaf were watching his and Kakashi's fight intently.

"Shall we give them a better show then Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled back as his eyes flashed and took on the purple eyes with concentric circles and tomoe. Kakashi saw the flash that covered Naruto's eyes and instantly was on high alert, those eyes were damn dangerous. Naruto's arms rose into the air with Chidori still running across his hands. Above them thunderclouds started to roll in and Kakashi realised that Naruto had taken his ability to whole new levels to control the element to this level.

Kakashi allowed the powers of Chidori to die off in his hands and instead began to cover his hands in pure wind, meaning his hand could rhetorically cut through most things like butter. He then waited until Naruto made his move before he would make a move to attempt to stop it, he knew that chances were probably slim by now.

Naruto brought his hands down at a ninety degree angle and bursting through the clouds came an absolutely monstrous sized Korean dragon comprised entirely of lighting. Kakashi stared at the thing dumbly for a few moments as it made its rapid descent towards him and his imminent end. "Kirin!" Naruto yelled as the large dragon of lightning made its hasty descent towards Kakashi. He had to act fast and only just remembering that he had wind swirling around his hands he lifted them from his sides and clapped them together.

"KamiKaze!" Kakashi yelled out as an arrow of pure wind flew upwards to meet with the dragon of lightning, yet as it continued on its ascension the form changed until it was a dragon of pure wind. It was then that both techniques met in mid-air and both dragons roared, causing sound waves to ripple out along the land. Both dragons fought in the air for dominance of the very air. The lightning dragon moved to encircle his enemy only to pass right through the wind dragon which then solidified again and clamped its jaw down hard onto the neck of the lighting dragon.

With a roar of defeat the lightning dragon exploded and took the wind dragon with it. Naruto looked to his sensei with a great sense of pride in the man who had been his sensei, as Kakashi looked to his student in the same fashion, he had definitely come a long way since his days of the academy where most people believed he'd be lucky if Naruto made it past Genin, maybe he hadn't but that was only official rank, by skill and prowess he was easily kage level.

"That's not all I have Kakashi-sensei! I have one last technique that no-one has seen for six years, it has the power to devastate and annihilate…" Naruto began as he leapt off of his vantage point high above and straight into the clouds that had been created with the destruction of both elemental dragons. When he appeared through the other side Kakashi could see that he had his arms crossed over his chest. Confused as to what he was doing he did not move.

"… this is the power of The Sage Of The Six Paths!" Naruto yelled as he landed onto the ground right in front of Kakashi, the space between them being only a few feet. Kakashi's eyes widened at such a proclamation and watched as Naruto's arms shot outwards with his arms being pointed in exact opposite directions to his side, he looked directly at Kakashi and Kakashi saw the purple eyes with concentric circles flash before Naruto's next words.

"Shinra Tensei!" Naruto called out and suddenly there was a massive expulsion of force acting outwards from Naruto, Kakashi was so unprepared for such a technique to be used and as such was thrown into the air and knocked out almost instantly, a low supply of chakra with using the Sharingan so long and the sheer force used behind that technique put him out of it almost instantly. Everyone who was watching within the trees watched as the village destroying technique was now once again in the world and under the control of none other than the village jinchuriki.

Tsunade especially watched with much interest and trepidation. The man who had destroyed their village had used that technique, and now Naruto had it, that would definitely make things harder for him if he had one of the village's greatest enemy's techniques. Although maybe the fact that Naruto was viewed as the Hero of the village would help him.

* * *

><p>There was a flash of yellow where Naruto once was and then a second flash when he reappeared right next to the flying form of Kakashi who had begun his descent towards the ground again. Naruto grabbed him and then forced his chakra out of his feet in a blast of energy, slowing both his and his sensei's descent and ended up landing on the ground softly. With Kakashi in his arms Naruto applied his chakra to Kakashi with the dull green glow that eventually completely covered the form of Kakashi.<p>

There were many sounds of feet touching the ground around him and Naruto looked out the corner of his eyes to see that he was surrounded by Shinobi. He was ready to use Shinra Tensei again already but once he saw Tsunade walking up to him he calmed down quickly.

"So when does Kakashi become Hokage then?" Naruto asked as he seemed to be concentrating more on healing Kakashi than he was on their conversation. Tsunade was quite surprised by the question, of all the things she could have thought he might say to her, that was not amongst the highest she had guessed at. Nevertheless it was a question that required an answer and she would do as asked.

"He was due to be appointed the position within the next three months, I'm sorry if this information hurts you but you were never here and I did not know if you would return if ever" Tsunade tried to explain near the end of her answer. Naruto turned to her with a smile on his face the likes of which Tsunade had not seen ever since before the death of Jiraiya, yes that was exactly how long it had been since she had really seen Naruto smile.

"No need to explain Ba-Chan, he's the only one worthy of the title, I doubt anyone else could last quite as long as he did against me" Naruto answered as he indicated the form of Kakashi in his arms still covered in the healing chakra. Tsunade watched as Kakashi was actually being healed to her surprise, she hadn't thought Naruto capable of using healing chakra but here he was healing Kakashi to almost perfection again.

"When did you learn to heal?" Tsunade asked as Naruto looked at her and laughed nervously. What he had expected her to ask was not what she asked, he expected more along the lines of 'why the hell is the training ground a ravine!' and 'Why the hell are you able to use the technique that destroyed our village!" instead he was getting asked about his ability to heal someone.

"Well those five years didn't go to waste you know, I trained on every aspect that could be useful to me while I was still hunting down everyone that had a Sharingan, also helped that I could partially copy their moves too" Naruto said as his eyes flashed to those dangerous eyes that afforded him power more than he should be capable of. Those purple eyes with concentric circles and nine tomoe.

"Those eyes" Tsunade whispered almost to herself but Naruto was able to hear her just fine, he knew he would get a reaction quite like that so did not allow it to bother him. He did have the eyes of a previous enemy after all. With a sigh he then resealed his eyes so that they were back to his caring cerulean blue colour, but Tsunade's expression did not change much.

"Yeah I guess they may not be the best thing you've ever seen since I returned home, at least I am not going to destroy the village though" Naruto responded whilst he closed his eyes nervously and Tsunade alongside Shizune who was not at her side knew that he would have been rubbing the back of his head sheepishly after acting as such.

"Naruto, how can you have those eyes?" Tsunade asked as Naruto simply looked at her. The honest answer was a long one that he really did not want to re-tell just yet. He was only just out of the hospital and in all honestly he just wanted to talk to his friends and then go home to have what will be the greatest sleep of his life.

"It's a long story" Naruto said tiredly and Tsunade could pick up on Naruto's reluctance to answer her and figured it had to do with the fact that there were so many that were surrounding him and Kakashi, added the fact that the stares he was getting from the Kunoichi must have been putting him off a bit even if he may be a bit clueless to their intent.

"Very well, I shall let you away with that for now since you are just home but I do expect to be told sooner or later, I shall leave you to get reacquainted with your friends then" Tsunade said as she began to walk off with Shizune hesitating to follow her. Tsunade noticed this and decided to tease her assistant for it. "My, my Shizune, are you unable to take your eyes off of young Naruto?" Tsunade asked while her assistant blushed up a storm stuttering replies that were only met with a smirking Tsunade. Naruto watched and heard the whole thing and simply laughed along with it, he had no idea why Shizune could take her eyes off him but he guessed it must have been a good reason.

Naruto turned to all that had converged in the area and surveyed the entire group, it was quite a lot of people to be honest including his entire year group of Shinobi alongside some of their sensei's, then there was also Anko who was there for whatever reason, the ones who stuck out to him however were the three girls who were in front of Anko and Kurenai, the three he had saved not many days before.

"Everyone I promise I'll be right back, I'm just going to drop Kakashi off at the hospital then I'll be right back" Naruto said before even giving any of them the opportunity to answer him and was gone in a flash of yellow and white. This left all of the Shinobi and Kunoichi in the area dazed as to where the blonde haired stud had suddenly vanished to.

"And here I was enjoying the view too" Anko complained to Kurenai who giggled slightly at the way in which Anko had complained, it sounded so childish while at the same time so perverse, she honestly did not know how Anko could do that. Although, she could not really argue with Anko on this one she was definitely enjoying the view of contrast between the two generations of Shinobi, yes indeedy.

"Indeed" was all Kurenai answered with which caused Sakura who was standing close by to drop her jaw to the ground.

"Have you no decency, Anko-San I understand but you too Kurenai-sensei?" Sakura asked as Kurenai looked to Anko who shrugged her shoulders before they both looked back at Sakura.

"What? Are you really going to tell me that I could not enjoy that display of eye candy right before me? It was right before me and I was enjoying the sight until it was robbed from view, I would very much like to see it again" Kurenai answered which had Anko grinning lecherously and Sakura choking on her own saliva, again that was something she had expected more from Anko than from Kurenai.

Just before Sakura was able to say anything more there was a secondary yellow flash and Naruto was back with them again. He was just as he had been before and Anko and Kurenai had victorious smirks on their faces as they were allowed to see his chest again.

"Told you I'd be right back" Naruto said as he grinned widely at them all. He had just left the hospital with a gracious Kakashi due to the fact he would not have to wade through the crowd of women who would undoubtedly chase him down.

When Naruto did not get any response he shrugged his shoulders and clicked his fingers, instantly in his hand appeared a black undershirt, another white breastplate of armour and his cloak. Applying the layers of clothing Naruto could hear the soft moans of disappointment as he covered over his body again. After clothing himself he looked back to everyone assembled which was now absent Tsunade and Shizune.

"Right now, what have I missed?" Naruto asked as he clapped his hands together and looked around everyone expectantly, they would surely have plenty to tell him, after all it had been five years and he really had begun to miss everyone, with his spirits high again he was ready to listen to everyone.

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><p><em>Well here you guys go, I hope you enjoy this chapter since Naruto is finally out of his dark place and ready to speak to everyone again, I will try my hardest to update other stories but lately I have found myself thinking over this story a lot and when I get an idea for it, it's better to apply it before I lose it, also its very hard to write another story when you mind is focused elsewhere, so for those of you who are waiting for updates on my other stories I am sorry but I promise I will get back to them sometime. As always R&amp;R please and enjoy =] - Varrukh<em>

HH


	7. Chapter 7 Reunion

Such a simple question and it had almost everyone stumped, for lack of a better term. What had been going on in the last five years? of course there had been plenty been going on, but his return had kind of outdone all of that and none of them could currently think about the past.

"Forget about what we have been doing, where have you been all of this time?" Anko asked for all of them when no-one was capable of coming up with a good response for the blonde man. His attention turned to the purple haired Tokubetsu Jonin and he smiled at her before looking around all of them and giving a nervous chuckle.

"Would you prefer that I tell you what I been doing first?" Naruto asked sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head and closed his eyes. After the chorus of yes' he opened his eyes and looked to exactly who his audience were.

Luckily enough for Naruto most of his comrades from his year had stood near their teammates and were standing in the trios that were their Genin team, even though after ranking up they still sometimes worked as a team.

* * *

><p>The first trio that he saw was one he had already recently seen but still took note of. Ino Yamanaka, Shikimaru Nara and Choji Akamichi were all standing wearing the exact same clothing Naruto had seen them wearing the last time he had seen them, the men when he was in hospital, and Ino of course after he woke up and saw her sleeping in the chair next to his bed.<p>

His eyes scanned over their team before moving to the next in quick motion. The next team were those that consisted of team 8. Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame. All three had drastically changed since the last time Naruto had seen any of them.

First of all were the changes to Shino. The man did not wear clothing that covered up his face but instead wore a black trench coat, completely opened, along with mostly black attire, looking like Ibiki used to look. His face was however still covered as he had on a mask much like Kakashi's, taking the man's advice when deciding to lose the high collared clothing.

Kiba was the next that Naruto's eyes traced over, the boy had become a man and the dog at his side, although it had not grown too much larger had indeed gotten bigger, as if to attest to the fact it had grown there was a small tuft of fur upon Akamaru's back, red in colour too. Kiba himself had on a black trench coat and black attire much like Shino but he also had draped across his shoulders a large fur cape. The man's hair had also grown much too, reaching his shoulders now and making him look even more feral.

Naruto's eyes made to shift over the next person too but found them stuck on her for longer than he had anticipated. The beauty before him had his eyes demanding that they get to see her longer before he looks away. Hinata Hyuga had turned into a gorgeous young woman in Naruto's eyes. Her hair was much longer than it had been, reaching down to below her bust line. Her clothing was completely unfit to be of fighting style and Naruto deduced that she must be the clan head by now. As he saw the faint blush that adorned her face he reminded himself that there was a matter of great importance he had to talk to her about.

* * *

><p>The next trio his eyes saw was the three Shinobi that had been a year older than he but were still regarded as part of their year group. This was the team that consisted of a Prodigy, a weapons mistress and a Taijutsu specialist. Or otherwise better known as Neji Hyuga, Tenten and Rock Lee.<p>

Neji had changed very little, he had gained height and now wore the common attire of most Konoha Jonin. The only thing that might be viewed as slightly different about the man would be the softer expression that he had upon his face. He looked much calmer than he had ever used to when they were younger.

Tenten had changed much. Her bun hair style was still in place yet her body had certainly taken upon itself to develop and as she had obviously opted not to change her style of clothing from her Chinese style and had much the same attire as she had when Naruto returned with Jiraiya all those years ago, well, she was definitely beautiful in Naruto's eyes. She basically wore a white shirt that showed off some of her midriff and also extenuated her bust greatly, her bottom half was covered by a pair of green pants that were curled up at the bottom. Alongside her buns in her hair she had long bangs that reached slightly down her chest and was curled slightly.

Rock Lee, Naruto noticed was very different. His usual exuberance was gone and Naruto almost felt as if he missed the way that he had used to act. He had first noticed it when the man was standing so quiet for quite so long but when he looked at Rock Lee he saw a very concentrated look upon his face. He looked almost hauntingly like Maito Gai had once looked if he looked calmer, had longer hair and did not shout out about youth all of the time.

* * *

><p>And finally Naruto's eyes landed on the form of Sakura and he realised the lapse his memory had slightly taken. The next team there should have been include her, himself and a man not of their world any longer. Although it constricted his heart slightly, he took solace in his belief that Sasuke's soul was in a better place now. Yet as he looked at Sakura and her new look that consisted of a cream jonin vest with the red cross on the left breast and her same clothing from before the war, as well as her longer hair and softer expression, he remembered that he also had unfinished business with her too. Coming back was turning out to be rather difficult.<p>

With all of his 'Genin days' buddies being assessed, Naruto then moved onto the generation above his own, those that consisted of Shinobi and Kunoichi like, Anko, Kurenai and Gai. All of whom had stayed looking mostly the same as they had done that last time Naruto had seen them which he had actually half expected.

Then his eyes looked down to the three girls that he had met but only a few days before. The girls whose lives he saved from the last man in the world to have the Sharingan that was stolen. He smiled down on the trio of girls that looked exactly like they had the day he saved them and cocked his head to the side slightly before he talked again.

"Would it help if you three young ladies knew a little bit more about me?" Naruto asked softly to which the three girls nodded their heads. Having only really heard about Naruto Uzumaki from stories they had heard from either their parents or from the academy, but to hear it from the source could only make the information much more valid.

"Very well then, I suggest you get comfortable this may very well take quite a while, my life story is not a short one" Naruto chuckled while all that knew him well enough grimaced at what he was implying, and by no means was he lying, his life had been no less than hectic since day one and at the age of 21 it seemed his life was only just reaching a calm area.

* * *

><p>After a few moments that Naruto had taken in order to explain to them in brief about his growing up the three girls were all looking at him in complete horror.<p>

"How could you possibly grow up and not resent any of the villagers around you?" Kyoki asked first of all, having Naruto's gaze move over to her and made him smile softly at her.

"I don't know really, all I ever wanted was for people to recognise me when I was younger, I never hated them, I only wondered why they hated me so much" Naruto answered as he looked to her, yet seeing her unconvinced look he continued on. "I guess what I wanted to do at a very young age was prove to everyone that I would not be put down, I would move forward and no-one would stop me" Naruto finished as Kyoki nodded her head in understanding. To her side however her teammate had a burning question she had wanted to ask since he had started.

"Didn't you ever feel lonely?" a soft voice asked out and Naruto found that it belonged to a girl with purple hair tied into a high pony-tail, her eyes however, though beautiful betrayed a pain he knew all too well.

"Of course I did, every day of my life I was forced to fend for myself and not have any friends, I had almost no family except maybe Jiji and Teuchi and Ayame-Chan" Naruto answered back as he could see the pained look cross over her features again. Her body tensed and her shoulders sagged. Standing directly in front of Ino meant that the blonde haired woman could rest a reassuring hand on her student's shoulder.

"You still had some people though didn't you? There were still at least some people who cared about you enough to at least try and lessen your suffering as a child…" the girl was unable to finish as her body was wracked with sobs. All present kept silent, despite this being a joyous occasion it was still clear that some old issues were not dealt with properly. Ino went to kneel down next to her student but when she saw Naruto motion for her to stop she wondered what he may be up to.

"You're just like me aren't you? Maybe not the container status, but you have grown up alone haven't you?" Naruto asked softly as the girl looked up at him through teary eyes. He bowed his head and walked forwards; he stood directly before her and knelt down before looking up, directly into her eyes. "I grew up with a beast contained within my body, a beast everyone in the village hated me for, I was often beaten and attacked because of this" Naruto started as he softly grabbed both of her arms. "Being alone is a terrible fate that no-one should have to endure, I know first-hand what it is like, yet there is a cure for such a condition" Naruto finished as he leaned back with a smile.

"What is it?" Noma asked with a certain sense of urgency to her question, admittedly her teammates had never seen her act quite like this before. She had always seemed shy and insecure and never, repeat, never had they known that she had grown up alone, she seemed completely unlike the kind of person to grow up like that.

"They stand on every side of you" Naruto answered her simply as he leaned back and opened his arms motioning to everyone that stood behind her. She turned around to see the smiling and shocked faces of everyone present, every single person that was there had a smile for her and she realised there and then, that she had always had those that cared about her, she had just always been ignorant of such facts.

"And now if you want, you can even have me" Naruto said as he stood back up again smiling as the girl whipped around, teary eyed and latched onto his half kneeling form, effectively stopping him from getting up from the ground. Somewhat surprised, Naruto lowered himself down again and the girl worked her arms around his form tighter, almost as if afraid that he might not really be there at all.

He knew that feeling and did not think it appropriate to try and work her off of him. He knew her pain and he knew his own coping would be different from hers, if this was her way then he would help her. Slowly he stroked the hair of the girl hugging into him so tightly whilst whispering words of comfort into her ear. She was crying yet at the same time she was laughing.

"Never doubt the power of your friendship, in times of hardship they will help you through your darkest hour, never forget those that you care about, fight for them to the greatest of your ability, that was my ninja way, and look how I turned out" Naruto joked to the form still hugging him tightly and felt the movements as she giggled against his chest.

The scene before many of them struck a chord within many of their hearts. Even some of the men were standing and finding whole new levels of respect for the man that Naruto had become. To grow to a level where he could relate his own pain to that of someone younger than him only made him that much of a greater man in many of their eyes. The women however found that this considerate gentleman that called himself Naruto was downright appealing. Who doesn't love a man who can be compassionate?

* * *

><p>After a few more moments of Naruto simply allowing the girl to hug into him, she finally relinquished her grip on him. Naruto looked up again with his smile on his face. The girl he had been hugging into moved back over to her position between her friends where she received hugs from both girls, as if in assurance.<p>

"Now as I was saying, since I do believe that you all know about the Fourth Shinobi War right?" Naruto asked mainly the three girls, all of whom nodded their heads, Noma even more vigorously than she usually did.

"Well ever since that has ended I have been travelling all over the world mastering techniques, whilst at the same time going on a personal mission to put my own soul at peace and my greatest friend's at rest" Naruto said as he held a hand over his heart before he continued. "In all basic terms I guess you could say I became a somewhat Sharingan hunter, when Madara's lab was broken into many of the Sharingan he had collected were stolen and I hunted them down" Naruto continued and caused a fair few of those present to stand and stare at him in awe.

"Just who have you been hunting down exactly?" Anko asked, barely able to contain herself, this specimen of a man before her was testing her patience in all the right ways. Even if it was completely unintentional. Naruto took a moment to ponder over the names of some of the foes he had had to face in the past.

"Erm… Teraku Jiruga, Manzetsu and recently Haruza Kuroha" Naruto said while his attention had been aimed at the sky while pondering. "Those are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head" Naruto said as he brought his eyes back to eye level with everyone again. Or he would have, if everyone's eyes were even at the same level as his. Currently half of them on the ground, along with their owners, who had body planted at those three names.

Kurenai was first back on her feet, having her daughter covering her own face in disbelief at her mother's antics. It was not so bad that they all done it but still the fact still stood. Although such reactions to those names intrigued her.

"Are you telling us that you took on the self-proclaimed Akatsuki, The scourge of Kumogakure and the original Zetsu?" Kurenai asked in a mixture of fear and complete and utter awe. All three had been widely regarded as the prime level of missing ninja. They were all double SS class missing ninja, earning them all a 'flee on sight' status, not seen since the legendary yellow flash of Konoha.

Naruto cocked his head to the side in confusion; they were sure making a big thing out of this. "Sure, I mean they all had Sharingan and therefore were a threat to peace" Naruto answered back as if it made complete sense to him that he fought such powerful opponents. Anko felt her self-control really faltering at that point and time. She was sure that she would have taken him there and then if it were not for the fact that Kurenai would no doubt stop her.

* * *

><p>Ino watched as Naruto spoke and could not believe the transformation that he had gone through in a matter of days. Naruto seemed completely back to normal now, but she worried this was all still just a mask he was putting on for the sake of them all. As everyone just stared at Naruto once again for his latest comment his eyes looked over all of them as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. His eyes fell upon the azure orbs of Ino and she was afforded the sight that Naruto had been trying to hide. She saw the flash of sadness that crossed his eyes but just as instantly as she had saw it, it disappeared again. She had definitely seen it however and it would be getting brought up in the future, she was under orders to make sure that he was alright after all.<p>

"How can you act so humble about taking on such strong opponents?" Lee asked as Neji nodded alongside him. Naruto turned to both men with a smile on his face, which they were both shocked to notice that they were barely able to see through, although his face told them he was happy, his eyes told a whole different picture.

"I do not enjoy taking lives, I only done that mission in order to put Sasuke's soul to rest" Naruto responded softly, Ino clicked instantly and could see the signs that Naruto was flailing, he may have appeared fine but from what she was currently viewing, it appeared as though something to do with Sasuke was going to be a trigger.

Naruto continued to smile while his eyes desperately wanted to cry. He did not want his friends to be aware of the pain he felt and aimed to keep it hidden within him until he could find a way to rid himself of the pain. It was and always would be his coping method.

"So, tell me, what have all of you guys been up to, you know my story, I want to know all of yours" Naruto said, desperately trying to change the subject, although he tried his hardest not to, his voice did indeed sound desperate and they all knew it, even the three girls. Not wanting to make him aware that they heard his desperation they simply complied. They could see his attempts at holding up a mask and knew he wanted to protect them, as such they would not trample on his wishes.

"Well Foxy-Chan, there has definitely been a lot of things going on around here obviously!" Anko chimed in instantly, being the first to try and defuse the situation. She hated tense atmospheres and those she cared enough about in pain. Right now both were present and she wanted to fix both, only one being capable of fixing at that moment and time. Naruto however smiled at Anko due to the nick-name she had given him.

"Foxy-Chan, not one I've heard before but I do not deny that I like it" Naruto said honestly as all of the Kunoichi looked to Anko jealously; she was already one up on all of them. She just grinned at them victoriously, if only to try and hide her knowledge of his current state. She moved over to him slowly and winked at him before placing her hand on his cheek and bringing her face agonisingly close to his own. Their lips almost touching she spoke again.

"Well if you are not busy later on, maybe we can meet up and you can have me screaming that name to you?" Anko asked seductively as everyone in the area almost blew their heads off from blood loss, had Jiraiya been there he might even have been comatose or speaking about how he liked Anko. She had half expected him to either jump back in surprise or stand stock still in surprise, what she had not expected was for his composure to change very little.

"Anko-Chan, if you are trying to seduce me, it may be working, yet I do believe that we may put it off for another time, yeah?" Naruto asked her leaning in even closer and causing Anko to lean back in surprise. With a victorious smirk Naruto leaned back to normal and left a fuming Anko in the process, she simply could not believe that she had been beaten at her own game, what had the world come to?

"Wow… Naruto congratulations, Anko , you are losing your touch" Kurenai pointed out matter of factly to which Anko turned to her friend with a pout on her face.

"That's not fair Kurenai-Chan! He cheated! He isn't supposed to do it back to me!" Anko complained while she stomped her foot for added effect. Kurenai simply smiled at the antics of her friend while everyone else in the area was only just regaining their composure. The antics of Anko were to be expected, but the manner in which Naruto had dealt with her was no less than a wonder. Ino was reassessing her theory of his sexiness from when he had saved her, he was definitely sexy and he knew how to play the seduction game. Even as far as to beat one of its highest calibre players.

"I do believe that he said you would get back to it some other time however?" Kurenai asked slowly only to have a smug grin fall on the face of Anko as she turned to Naruto again. "I will hold you to that one Foxy-Chan" Anko said as she winked at him, surprised only when Naruto then winked back at her. "That's right! You all saw it! I'll be the first to bag him!" Anko cried out victoriously as she received looks of envy from many of the female populace and a confused look from Naruto. That was mixed in with slight fear, of course he knew what she meant yet feared what else she may do to him.

* * *

><p>"Back to the subject at hand, what have I been missing then?" Naruto asked as everyone diverted their attention back upon the ladies' man.<p>

"Well I guess one of the important ones would be that I am now the head of the Hyuga family, with Neji-kun being the new head of the branch family" Hinata said quietly which had Naruto looking over to her with an ecstatic smile on his face.

"Hinata that's brilliant! Well done to you too Neji!" Naruto cheered to them both, receiving appreciative smiles and nodding heads from both mentioned. Hinata did have slight pink colouration to her cheeks too; this Naruto noticed and knew the source.

"Thank you Naruto, we are at least a closer clan now, ever since Hinata has come to the head position she has brought the branch family closer to the main branch" Neji said as he smiled at his cousin. Naruto approved wholeheartedly of the new Neji, he was a much nicer man than he had been a boy.

"That's good, at least you were able to do what you wanted to Hinata, I'm glad you were able to realise your dream" Naruto said as he once again smiled at Hinata and Neji.

"Tenten, Neji and I have taken on Genin pupils during your absence Naruto-kun" Lee said which caused Naruto to then look at him. He smiled at the three, they had already gone on to take on Genin in under six years, that showed both their level of skill and their level of maturity.

"That's great news guys! I hope that your teams do well!" Naruto responded happily making all of the three sensei smile at his childlike antics, they were able to fool themselves even for a moment that the Naruto that they all knew may very well be back. Most of them however were not going to be overoptimistic and as such continued on.

"I became the head of my clan, that is after I had to fight my mom for the right to become the alpha male, that was rather awkward. Also Akamaru here is a father now , meet little Akamari" Kiba explained as he indicated to the small tuft of red fur on Akamaru's back, Akamaru also moved his head to check up on his offspring and at that moment Naruto saw the small tuft of fur lift its head. Despite himself, he was finding it almost as hard as many of the women in the area not to scream Kawai!

"Kiba, can I have it?" Naruto asked honestly as he reached out for the small bundle of red fur. Kiba smacked his hand away whilst shouting in anime style with pointed teeth.

"NO YOU CAN'T, HE'S BARELY EVEN A FEW WEEKS OLD!" Kiba yelled as he pointed to Naruto who smiled back innocently and eventually laughing at the way Kiba had acted.

"I was only joking, good to see you are just as easy to wind up as before Kiba" Naruto said cheekily as Kiba brought back his fist to punch Naruto while a tick mark had appeared on his head. He was only stopped due to the hand of his teammate grabbing onto his arm and effectively halting him dead in his tracks.

"Kiba-kun, you will only get yourself hurt" Shino admonished his comrade quickly befoe he turned his own attention to Naruto. "My apologies Naruto-san, anyway, I am proud to admit that I have attained the rank of assistant head of the torture and investigation unit" Shino continued as Naruto stared at him blankly for a moment before eventually turning to Anko.

"The guy's telling you the truth Foxy-Chan, he is assistant head alongside me, the only one above us both is Ibiki" Anko explained as she had crossed her arms across her chest pushing her bosom out that bit more, Naruto however had looked away from her after she finished and Anko growled slightly. Kurenai leaned over and whispered into her friend's ear.

"He's good, he's both managed to beat you at your own game and shown complete resilience to your charm, I think you're gonna have a fight on your hands here" Kurenai whispered while Anko slowly nodded her head in agreement.

"Wow, I would never have thought that you would go into the torture division Shino, although who am I to judge?" Naruto said as he shrugged his shoulders. Shino was not too bothered to be honest, many of his comrades and even some within his own family had been surprised at his place of work. However he had managed to evolve his Kikai insect colony to be able to extract information from a person's memory and upon death release these memories into his own. The process was long and complicated but only had to be resorted to if he could not make the person spill beforehand with his techniques of persuasion.

"Looks like I'm next don't it Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked as his eyes landed on her. She was looking at him through soft looking emerald eyes and Naruto wondered just why she was being so nice to him, if anything he expected nothing less than scorn from the woman he once loved and made a promise of a lifetime to. She was one that he was going to have to speak to in private afterwards and was not too enthusiastically looking forward to it.

"I guess so Sakura-Chan" Naruto responded as he forced a smile onto his face, although Sakura could see this and felt the pain od realising he was forcing a smile for her when he had not appeared to do so for most everyone else she still continued onwards.

"Well I am the head of the Medic-nin squadron now, we have got our own corps now and I have been appointed the head of it, only Tsunade-Sama is above me in authority there" Sakura answered feeling the slightest bit of pride in being the first commander of the Medic-nin squad. Naruto though did look genuinely surprised and maybe even proud after she had said that.

"I didn't even know there was such a thing created, well done you Sakura for becoming such an important figure in the Shinobi corps now" Naruto said proud this time with his smile not seeming quite so strained, but they could all definitely see it.

Although he sounded proud in his mind he was having an internal battle. After the promise he had made to Sakura he had half expected her to be angry with him after failing in what he had promised her. He expected her fury but through the way she was acting just now it was almost like she did not care anymore, like all he had done had been for naught. It was that or she was holding in her fury and silently hated him, and that was something he felt was even worse than her simply not caring, if she hate him then he preferred that he know directly.

Naruto looked away from Sakura and looked around all of the faces around him. He smiled at them all before he spoke.

"Sorry to leave you guys but I'm feeling really tired and I want to sleep, hospital beds aren't really comfortable and I want to just rest a bit, I've already overexerted myself today" Naruto explained as everyone nodded their head to him. They all knew that he was anything but tired and wished to be away from whatever it was that had him saddened but they could not quite pin-point what exactly it was that caused his sadness.

Naruto walked away from the assembled people and put his hands into his pockets.

* * *

><p>Ino turned to Anko and Kurenai and nodded to both women.<p>

"You go and make sure the Gaki is alright, it's what you were asked to do after all" Anko said to her simply while Kurenai nodded her head alongside her friend. Ino then looked down to her three students and knelt down to speak to them.

"Girls, sensei has to go and speak to Naruto about something important, you are free to do as you wish for the rest of the day" Ino said to them at which Kyoki and Hiku jumped around happily before racing off. Noma took a moment to look at Ino before doing anything; Ino noticed her hesitation and smiled to her adorable student. "Don't worry I'll make sure that he is alright, next time you see him he will be happy again" Ino said as Noma then nodded her head before moving off to catch up with her teammates.

Ino then stood straight again and went to move off before she felt a hand grabbing at her arm. Turning around she found that to her utmost surprise that it was Maito Gai that had stopped her.

"Ino-Chan I know what it is that troubles young Naruto-Kun, what he needs the most just now is comfort from one he cares about and one that cares about him deeply enough. This will be a delicate time for him, you must be careful what you both say and do around him, one wrong move and you can cause him to create a shell within himself and crawl into it" Gai said in a completely serious tone, in all honesty Ino found that a serious Gai was a scary Gai.

"Hey, how can you know so much about this Gai-sensei?" Tenten asked her sensei from her Genin days only to have the man turn to her with a sad smile adorning his face.

"All I shall say is that I have known Kakashi for a very long time, and I myself have been through a similar time in my own lifetime" Gai answered leaving most of the younger generation speechless, those of the older generation knew this though, those were some very very dark days for him. "Just make sure that he is alright, ok Ino-Chan?" Gai almost pleaded of her just as Tsunade had done not only a few nights ago. It seemed everyone was worried deeply about the blonde.

"Okay Gai-sensei, I'll try my best to make him feel better, I mean after all, I do owe him for what he has done for me and even my team too" Ino said as she looked to where Naruto was slowly diminishing and getting away from her before very quietly adding. "I better hurry or else I am going to lose him, he doesn't even have his old apartment to go to" Ino said almost to herself before she took off sprinting after the blonde haired man who had many of his comrades worried about him.

"Do you think Foxy-Chan will be alright? I mean from what I heard the death of Sasuke hit him really badly and he hasn't been quite right ever since returning" Anko said to Kurenai who honestly did not have an answer to Anko's question.

"Naruto has a high level of resilience of that there is no doubt, but I do think that what will really determine whether or not Naruto-kun recovers from such a shock to his system is both how Ino-Chan handles the situation and how everyone else reacts to him later on" Gai said as he recalled his past and even the time with Kakashi too, they both had each other to rely on during those dark days and as such were able to come out of them due to each other's help.

"Why won't he come out and say that he is in pain, why does he try and make it out to us that he is fine?" Kiba asked honestly confused to how Naruto could act in such a manner; it was not through annoyance he was confused, but more bafflement.

"That's just the way Naruto-kun has always been, he won't let us see him in pain because he does not want us to be in any pain, it took Sai for me to realise that Naruto was suffering due to the promise he made to me" Sakura admitted as she felt heat in her eyes, tears were threatening to fall and she did not have the will power nor the care to try and stop them. Her tears flowed down her cheeks effortlessly as all looked on at her, they would have comforted her if it were not for the fact they felt somewhat responsible too.

They had all gotten used to believing that no matter how bad things might have gotten, Naruto would always be there to save the day. They had never really taken into consideration what that could do to Naruto, he always trained his hardest in everything he did, but he was literally always fighting their battles for them. None of them were able to half Pain during his invasion; Naruto had to be the one to stop him. Madara could not be stopped by any of them either; again they had to rely on Naruto to stop that man. They had expected so much of Naruto and never thought of the consequences, well right now it felt as if those consequences were finally reaching the surface and very little was holding back the inevitable explosion.

* * *

><p>Ino caught up to Naruto as he was about to turn a street corner. She reached out and grabbed onto the sleeve of his coat, causing said man to stop in his tracks. He had not expected anyone to follow him and as such turned around in surprise to see a tired Ino standing directly behind him, panting heavily.<p>

"Why did you have to leave in such a hurry? I mean honestly I had to sprint just to keep up with you" Ino complained as she leaned against a building to her right as she kept a firm hold of Naruto's coat, he was not escaping her easily at all, she would make sure of that.

"I am very tired and as such I only wish to go to my bed, I just want to go home and go to sleep, is that so much to ask?" Naruto asked softly and Ino felt a chord being struck within her heart, the desperation in his voice, his shadowed eyes. He was trying his hardest to hold back the floods but he was struggling and he did not want any of them to see. He was far too considerate for his own good.

"Naruto, you can't go home" Ino said somewhat nervously and kicking at the ground softly. Naruto did not even lift his head as he asked her the question she had been waiting on.

"Who did it?" Naruto asked, there was not even any venom or any malice within his voice, it almost sounded fed up, like he had just had enough.

"No-one done it on purpose, the building apartment you were in was deemed too dangerous for people to live in, The Hokage had to have the building demolished" Ino said as Naruto looked to her. His eyes looked if nothing more, tired. Simply and unconditionally tired.

"What about all of my things?" Naruto asked as he realised he did not really have too much to lose if the building were to be destroyed, but he knew that there were a few important things in that building he would kill for. Ino knew what direction Naruto was going with his question.

"It's ok, before it was demolished Tsunade-sama herself went through your apartment and took anything of importance to you and took them to her home" Ino said as Naruto's face seemed to relax slightly at the information, it also allowed Ino to relax slightly as his face was really serious just there the now.

"That's ok then, I thought I might have lost some of my important treasures for a moment there" Naruto responded eventually with a tired laugh before he smiled to Ino. "Well I'm going to go home now, I'll see you later Ino-Chan" Naruto said as he made to walk off. Ino who was momentarily shocked by those words then shouted after him.

"Wait Naruto! Where are you going?" Ino asked honestly confused. Naruto simply turned to her and smiled, this time at least he had an honest smile, Ino was seriously worrying about him. He could be sad one moment, angry another and then happy the next.

"To my new estate Ino-Chan, if my apartment is gone then it's the only other place I can go" Naruto answered with his happy smile still on his face. Ino was however confused, how could Naruto have an estate? The only ones with estates were usually clans.

"Naruto you don't have to lie to me, if you needed a place to stay then all you had to do was ask" Ino said as she smiled at the antics of her friend, honestly he was too nice to even ask that kind of request of his friend. Did he really think she would bite his head off for asking her that? Naruto had however moved to a position where he was waving his hand in front of his body desperately as he shook his head vigorously.

"No! No! Honestly I do have an estate the I can live in, you can even come with me and look, I swear to you that I have an estate to live in!" Naruto cried to her as Ino simply looked at him blankly. There was no way that Naruto could own an estate was there?

"Okay then I will come and see, just to make sure you're not trying to fool me into thinking you have a bed, when you might very well sleep on the streets" Ino said and Naruto flinched slightly, in all honesty had he found he had no place to live he may very well have slept outside that night, until he could talk to the Hokage next day. He nodded his head however and led the way towards his intended destination, to which Ino could only guess at.

* * *

><p>As they got closer and closer to the place Ino was still shrouded in mystery, it was a place that looked like it had not been looked at nor serviced in a very long time. The front gate was still as strong as it had been at creation at the front of the building. The building itself was majestic and large. It looked like it was fit to host royalty or definitely someone of high standing, Ino could not work out why Naruto was here because as far as she knew the only time he would be like that may be if he became Hokage, but Kakashi was going to be taking that role.<p>

Naruto then moved over to a plaque on the gate that had moss or some form of material coating over it. Wiping it away he revealed words that Ino would never be able to forget. In intricate letters the words 'Namikaze Residence' were written out and beside it was a seal. Ino watched as Naruto deftly took out a kunai and slashed his left palm, wiping his hand across the seal he then lifted his hand.

"Naruto, why are we here at the Yondaime's mansion?" Ino asked inquisitively to which Naruto turned to her and finally spoke to her after the silence all the way up to that building. His smile was on his face at least.

"Ino-Chan that seal that you saw was a blood seal, the gate will not open if the correct blood is not applied, it must be the blood of either an approved Hokage or…" Naruto left his comment hanging as he turne full to Ino with a large grin on his face, his eyes sparkled as he spoke his next few words. "… if someone of the same blood applies their blood to the seal" Naruto finished as the gate indeed opened and Ino stood stock still staring at Naruto.

"You mean…?" Ino began but was unable to continue her question as the shock caught her off guard.

"Yep, I am the son of the Yondaime Hokage and the Bloody Hanbero, I am Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze" Naruto finished as he smiled widely at Ino.

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><p><em>Well you guys I hope that this chapter is good as it took me a while to get around to writing it. I apologise for the slight angst at the end there but I think that with the events surrounding Sasuke, Naruto would really be hard pressed to forget about it all instantly, therefore in this fic although he may struggle with the fact of Sasuke's death, he will do his best to fight through it while at the same time we continue on with the story. Anyway I thank you for reading this so far, I am enjoying wirting this one and I don't think I have made too many screamers of mistakes but if I have then by all means please point them out, otherwise if you could please drop a review it would be much appreciated. Thank you =] - Varrukh<em>


	8. Chapter 8 The Final Hurdle Overcome

No words were spoken for a long time. What could really be said? 'oh sorry Naruto if I had known your dad was actually the Yondaime Hokage there is no way I would have treated you like I did when we were little' somehow Ino did not think that story would gel too well with Naruto.

She didn't expect that much she could say would go too well with him if she was to be entirely honest with herself, the manner with which he had been dealing with everyone his entire life was impressive. When they had all learned of his place as a container for a beast of insatiable rage and hatred there was no less than a large majority of people who were by then ashamed to have even been the same age as him. They had not been the greatest of people to him.

Yet here she stood, his devilishly handsome grin pointed directly at her. Despite any past they may have shared good or bad Ino could not help but think that the smile she was receiving was anything different from the one she may have received if she had been nicer to him. Naruto was just too nice for his own good, everyone loved him for that always had and many could not see where he got his boundless amounts of generosity from.

Naruto applied chakra to his hand and instantly the blood that had been slowly flowing from his cut palm stopped and began to recede back into the cut, eventually healing over and only leaving specks of dried in blood. He turned his attention back to Ino to see her still standing there simply staring at him, had he been in any other mind-set he may have been somewhat confused by her expression and maybe have found it exceedingly cute on her face, yet his mind-set was not programmed that way just now and all he wanted was solitude.

"Well Ino-Chan now that you know I have somewhere to go home to, do you want me to walk you home?" Naruto asked sincerely, although he secretly grudged himself for being so damn chivalrous, he would just not allow his moods nor needs go until he had tended to his friends wants and desires. _Then_ he might actually tend to what he wanted, which right now included him and a bath that he might just doze off in.

Ino was caught off-guard by the sudden question Naruto had asked her, it sounded almost like he was trying to get rid of her, but Naruto was nicer than that and she could detect the sugar-coating over the obvious question. When she looked into his eyes though she saw the visage of a boy who was lost, who wanted nothing more than to release himself into sweet oblivion…okay maybe her mind was overreacting but Naruto was not in the fittest of mind-sets and Ino was really wary of leaving him alone just yet.

"I didn't know that you hated my company that much that you desperately wanted to get rid of me?" Ino said with a mock pout on her face, when she saw his face move to a more shocked looking one she knew that she had him much more relaxed already. His arms waved in front of his body animatedly as he tried to answer her as quickly as he could, speaking just as quickly.

"No, it's not that really! It's just I was going to take a bath and then probably fall asleep and I didn't want to leave you by yourself in my house, you'd get bored" Naruto tried to reason with her, he wasn't lying, he had no idea what was held behind the doors to this new mansion and he did not exactly want Ino to be sitting around his house idly while he took a bath that might last a good few hours. Ino could see the sincerity within his voice and had to stop herself from smiling, he was so damn cute when he tried to be nice for her, however the medical part of her mind had decided that she was staying here and if that meant she had to be bored, well tough.

"It's alright Naruto, I'm on duty to watch after you and make sure you are alright for the next few days, which I do realise is a bit presumptuous of myself but that means I have to stay in close proximity" Ino explained as she looked Naruto dead in the eyes only to see his fear but also his silent understanding, while she could tell he probably wasn't happy with the fact he wouldn't get his solitude, he knew better than to argue with the wishes of Tsunade and simple accepted it.

"Alright then, well if there are any spare beds then I guess you can have them, if there aren't any I'll take the couch" Naruto said as he stared at Ino evenly, she stared back at him just as hard until a slight giggle escaped from her lips and she had to instantly cover her mouth due to the momentary blip.

"Sorry, I'm just not used to you being so serious Naruto, you were always so carefree and loud when you were younger" Ino said happily as she looked at him and just fully appreciated the man before her.

"Yeah well… time changes a person I guess" and there it was, it was like he was an emotional slot machine, some things could be said and he would be fine and others would trigger him in the completely wrong fashion. There was definitely something wrong with Naruto but he was simply not having anyone help him at all. His independence was really starting to irk Ino out a bit, but since he had only just recently got back and due to the fact he had some serious issues under his belt she supposed she would let it slide.

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><p>He walked past her silently as the wind and moved towards the front door. His body was tense as he moved closer to the door, as he reached the wooden door he slowly opened it up. To Ino's surprise there was already light coming from within the household already. It seemed to have an instantaneous effect on Naruto as Ino could see his body tense up even further and he clenched his fists. Even from her position a few paces behind him she could hear his knuckles crack as he clenched his fists so tightly.<p>

With a growl Naruto was ready to charge into the house, how anyone could dare to intrude upon his home! Just as he was about to leap the door opened fully to reveal a voluptuous figure standing in the doorway. Naruto was already flying through the air however before he had even seen who it was within the doorway. He had moved so fast that by the time he recognised who it was he was already face to face with them.

As soon as the face of Tsunade came into his vision Naruto had to act as quickly as he could before he literally bowled Tsunade over onto the floor. Charging the chakra in his body he activated his jutsu, which is he done it a few milliseconds late. Not that he had bowled her over at all oh no. with the angle his head was at, being aimed right at the face of his opponent he had only managed to use the Flying Thunder God Technique _after _he had laid the ghost of all kisses on Tsunade's lips. Yep awkward moment indeed.

Ino stood relieved as Naruto vanished in a flash of gold before he could knock the unsuspecting Hokage over but she could see the faintest of blushes that was beginning to dust over the cheeks of her Hokage and was beginning to wonder what had actually happened. Tsunade on her own part stood there completely dumbfounded, had that actually happened and if it had, why by all the power of the universe _Did_ it happen? There was no way she should have shared such a kiss with anyone so young as Naruto, not only was he younger than her, although looks would fool everyone, he was the small kid who had always called her '_Granny_' to share such a kiss with him, no matter how unintentional was just plain weird.

"Baa-Chan! Are you alright!" Naruto called from within the mansion to which both Ino and Tsunade turned when they saw Naruto running down the hallway towards the opened door and Tsunade who was now sporting a growing blush on her cheeks. Naruto had just suddenly appeared within a room in the house after he used his jutsu, he had exactly planned a place right enough, he just seemed to gravitate to that room at the time, seemed like a good idea at the time, after all he had almost knocked Tsunade over.

"I'm fine Naruto, at least you managed to use the Hirashem No Jutsu in time, otherwise I might have been on my back by now" Tsunade answered inwardly slapping her head at the innuendo she had unwittingly made. Naruto smiled widely and looked like an enormous weight was lifted form his shoulders.

"That's alright then, sometimes when I use that jutsu I get the ghost of a feeling I touched someone before initiating it, I thought I might have hit you and then used the jutsu, which would have made me feel awful, I'm glad you're ok Baa-Chan!" Naruto said happily as he smiled at her and Tsunade put her hateful thoughts at herself to the side while she smiled to him too, he was too damn nice for his own good.

"Yes Naruto I'm fine" Tsunade remarked quickly which in turn caused Naruto to look at her curiously. He wanted to know why exactly she found the need to be in his home, fair enough Hokage's were permitted to enter but there was no real reason as to why she should be here at all.

"Baa-Chan, why are you here?" Naruto asked rather bluntly to which Tsunade turned to him with an almost hurt look on her face.

"What can't I come and visit my favourite knucklehead ninja whenever I want?" Tsunade asked with a hint of a grin threatening to cover her face if she was not careful with her words. Naruto's face did not change; it seemed to be stuck on his happy smile. A smile which as Ino finally reached both of them, could see was face; his eyes did not reflect what his body was trying to say. Tsunade had seen it too.

"No, you just never come to visit me for no reason, there was always some purpose behind anyone ever seeing me" Naruto responded flatly as his head dropped slightly and he exhaled a deep sigh. "What is wrong then Lady Tsunade?" Naruto asked in an almost dead tone. Tsunade took two strikes to the heart with that one sentence. He sounded so gone, so lost. It was almost like he was a corpse walking amongst the living. Then there was what he had said, never did he speak formally with her, he was always slightly cheeky and maybe a little bit adorable at the same time, but that had disappeared. Where there once stood a hopeful and happy young boyu now stood a lost and hopeless man.

Tsunade couldn't answer him, how could she? He sounded so lost, so fragile. It was not what he should be, he should be happy and laughing with all of his friends at that one moment and time. He should be regaling in the past that he had missed out on with the night full of laughter. But here he was before it was even ten o'clock at night and he was going home.

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><p>"Naruto?" called a voice from within the house, Naruto turned to the sound of the hauntingly familiar voice to which he saw part of the reason he felt so lost and agitated. There in the doorway stood Sakura, shifting around uncomfortably in his gaze while she held her arms behind her back.<p>

"Yes Sakura?" Naruto asked her flatly without even looking in her direction. All women were at that time thinking about how he would never have acted as he was in the past, probably excited by the fact Sakura wanted to actually talk to him. Sakura was in a slight more pain as she realised that the affectionate name he always had for her was gone. It was like she had taken it for granted and already she missed it.

"I know that it's because of me that you are feeling so angry just now and I know you might hate me, but I don't care if you hate me, but please all I ask is that we can talk?" Sakura pleaded instantly, she didn't want to beat around the bush, she didn't want him to work up an argument against her and simply brush her off, she wanted to talk to him, she wanted to apologise for everything, all the pain she had caused, everything she had unloaded onto him.

Naruto looked like he was struggling for an answer as he looked at her. For a second Sakura half thought he might actually just hit her when she saw red blur over his eyes. In his own mind however things were swirling around and making things really hard.

He felt his anger and frustration at everything, Sakura, Konoha even the entire world. All of it had done something in the past to royally piss him off and at every turn he had to resist the temptations of the Kyuubi to just fully unleash the beast and destroy everything that had ever brought him pain. Yet his anger waned. He could not stay angry at Sakura, he had loved her and he doubted he had ever stopped at all in the past, he loved her as dearly as he had all the years he had known her.

He knew that coming back home would cause him and her to run into each other again but he had hoped that they might even have had a chance to be alone. There was far too much piled up in his mind that he needed to release and he honestly felt that she was the only person who could hope to understand. Even Kakashi would not be able to understand the pain that Naruto felt. It was then that the tears began to form in his eyes.

His thoughts trailed to the reason behind his inner suffering. The death of the man he had loved more than he could have any brother. Sasuke. His death was almost like the final nail in the coffin of Naruto's pain. His pain had reached its ultimate form and he had simply gone out of his way to try and get his mind off of it. Only nothing worked, not his mission, not his fights, not even every time he would train himself into the ground to try and stop his thoughts on the matter.

Now here he was on the verge of breaking down in front of three women who had shown him nothing but caring and compassion. Only he did not want to cry, they had always known him as the strong saviour who would come just when the time was right, manage to stand up when all others would have fallen down, he was supposed to be the strong one. Just now though, everything was just becoming too much, his pain, all of it at once assaulted him.

He looked to Sakura and pointed his hand out towards her, she could see the tears beginning to fall down his cheeks and took a step forward towards him. "Sakura-Chan… help" Naruto almost pleaded as he fell to his knees and his tears finally fell free and true. Such bottled up emotions which had tried to break in the past finally unleashed in an unholy flood. The hospital was a little leak compared to what was coming now.

Sakura was quick to act and leapt forwards and knelt down in front of Naruto as soon as he hit the ground. She placed her right hand around the back of Naruto's neck and kept her other hand resting on her leg. She brought her forehead to the top of Naruto's head before she spoke.

"Shh Naruto, it's ok I'll help you" Sakura promised as she closed her eyes and simply inhaled his scent. She could smell his husky odour mixed in with the salt of his tears. It was not seconds later that she felt something tightening around her waist, she opened her eyes to see that Naruto had wrapped his arms around her desperately and she smiled before resting her head again on top of his. "It's ok Naruto I'm here for you, lets go inside and we can talk ok?" Sakura asked softly as she attempted to get up, Naruto did not stop her, he simply moved with her, but he would not let her go.

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><p>Ino watched the scene somewhat hurt as Naruto clung to Sakura so desperately. She had wanted Naruto to hold her so desperately, to hold her as if she were the only thing that mattered to him at that one moment and time. Yet she was forced to watch as Sakura got that honour. Tsunade could see the crushed expression on Ino's face and felt sorry for the younger woman. She waited until Sakura and Naruto were in the house before she spoke.<p>

"You know you shouldn't beat yourself up about not being the one he finally opened up to" Tsunade explained while Ino looked to her, not even bothering to look surprised that Tsunade seemed to have guessed. "Sakura is the one who has the best chance of being able to understand his feelings, we should be thankful he is finally opening up at all, I was worried he might have otherwise exploded and unleashed the Kyuubi if he held it in much longer" Tsunade admitted as Ino silently agreed with Tsunade.

"I guess you are right Tsunade-Sama" Ino answered flatly to which Tsunade smiled soflty at before surprising Ino by bringing her in for a hug. Tsunade let loose a sigh as she looked into the house before looking down to Ino with honest happiness and joy in her eyes.

"That boy has absolutely no idea the affect he is having on the female population of this village just by growing up" Tsunade joked as Ino looked to her slightly confused.

"What do you mean? I thought Anko-Sensei and everyone were just joking when they were talking about him like that?" Ino asked Tsunade honestly believing that it had been a joke on behalf of the Kunoichi population.

"Are you kidding me? That was all real, they want to make that young man fall in love with them, they have all seen how he has transformed and needless to say they all liked it. And no matter what my assistant tries to say she likes the way he has turned out too" Tsunade finished with an almost victorious smirk on her face, to which Ino could only guess at what she was thinking now. "It does not matter right now however. Naruto's mental state is in jeopardy and we cannot risk him coming apart due to women fawning over him" Tsunade stated as Ino looked to her and nodded her head in affirmative. Naruto's wellbeing came before anything else right now.

"Yes Tsunade-Sama" Ino answered with a sad smile as she was forced to recognise that Naruto was far from being in a fit emotional state. Tsunade could see the sad smile and gave Ino one of her own.

Tsunade and Ino made their way into the large house and through to the living room. The building itself could clearly be seen to be much larger than what could currently be seen, the living room itself was capable of seating over twelve people and the large dinner table was capable of seating at least a further eight. Ino took her seat on one of the large couches capable of seating four people as Tsunade sat on one of the three singular seats directly opposite her.

Ino just sat there, incapable of even thinking what she could otherwise be doing. Her vision was solely on the carpet at her feet and Tsunade took notice of this. Try as she may however, Tsunade could not find what she could tell the young woman. She knew Ino was having budding feelings for the young man, but his current condition meant she could not follow her own desires. Added to that the fact that the only one who Naruto seemed comfortable opening up to was one whom Naruto had loved deeply. It seemed like things were only stacking up against Ino.

Neither Sakura nor Naruto were in the room when they had entered and Tsunade had half expected that. Sakura had no doubt made sure that she and Naruto were in a private room away from any possible prying ears. What they were talking about was private and confidential. And although both Tsunade and Ino were dying to help Naruto however they could they just knew they would only become a problem if they were to try anything.

They could hear the quiet whimpering not too far off and knew that whatever room it may have been, they were not too far away, so if they were needed they could be received quickly.

"Now tell me, how is your Genin team been doing Ino?" Tsunade asked, trying her best to get rid of the oppressive and depressing atmosphere, she knew Naruto was in pain but did Ino have to look so sad? Ino looked up at her current Hokage surprised at the question posed by the older woman, she did however realise the intention and smiled slightly, at least Tsunade was trying to make conversation in the otherwise tense atmosphere.

"They have been doing very well Tsunade-Sama, so well in fact that I think they may be able to take the Chunin exams in Kumogakure next year" Ino responded receiving an approving nod from Tsunade, Ino's team were indeed very good, they were capable of getting missions done and were also some of the greatest examples of Kunoichi fresh from academy, Tsunade half wished that most Kunoichi came out half as much like them. Fit, intelligent and ready to get their hands dirty if need be.

"That is good to hear Ino" Tsunade said as she sank into her chair. She brought her hands up to her face and then brushed her hair from her face and over her head. "I remember when you, Naruto and most of the new Jonin of Konoha were just Genin, back when you were all so loud and proud and so sure of yourselves, you believed you could all take on the world" Tsunade spoke as she smiled at the old ways of the rookie 12, it was true. They were all kids and they were all eager to show that they were capable of anything that a Shinobi had to be prepared for.

"Now look at what Konoha has to defend it, it has the Jonin of the smartest and strongest year to leave the academy defending it. It also has the Hero of the World as one of its core defenders and he has not even made it past the rank of Genin, truth be told he could take the seat of Hokage right now" Tsunade admitted as she finally brought her gaze back to Ino who was smiling warmly at the tales of the past. Try as much as she liked, there was a part of her that loved that time in their life, although Sasuke abandoned them and brought Naruto immeasurable pain, it also brought everyone together.

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><p>During the three years that Naruto had been absent Ino had sorely missed his goofy smile, his optimistic attitude and his carefree ways. Ino had missed Naruto for all that he was, and then when he came home there was definitely a part of her that had brightened up significantly, the fun of the village had returned. Yet it was as if he was never allowed to stay in the village for long, as soon as he had come back he was forced to recognise the threat of Akatsuki.<p>

First they had taken a fellow Jinchuriki, Gaara. Naruto had been instantly ready to save his friend and had faced down Akatsuki, even if it was Sakura that actually was the only one to get a confirmed kill on one of the members. Then next threat had been from Orochimaru who had caused Naruto to unleash the monster caged within him.

The time Ino had truly come to view Naruto as the hero he was is during the time of the Pain Invasion. That man was unstoppable, even the hgher levels of Jonin could not stop the man, all six of the human puppets were capable of disposing of any and everyone who came near them, and just when all seemed lost, he appeared. In a pool of smoke he had appeared to save the day, he had come with his toad allies to save Konoha.

Not only did he defeat all of the assailants of the village, he even went so far as to defeat the puppeteer, he managed to bring the puppeteers mind around and through this revived many of the Konoha Shinobi that had fallen. Naruto had shown everyone something that day, he had shown them that he would not abandon his village; he had shown them that no matter the adversary he would grow stronger to beat them. She had herself admitted that she could almost fall for him that day and she had not been joking, who doesn't love a man who has gone far out of his own way to save you?

Then the war came and Ino never saw Naruto again until he suddenly appeared not long after she Choji and Shikamaru had managed to defeat their old sensei. Once again he had changed so much. She could see just from his form that he had undergone something in order to get stronger, and it was all for everyone else's sake, he had not thought about himself when he had gotten stronger. His thoughts were solely on fighting Sasuke and that alone, he had declared he would be the only one to fight Sasuke as he was the only one capable of taking in all of the hatred Sasuke had accumulated. He as another child raised in hatred and anger was the only one who could possibly try to even hold out against Sasuke.

That was the last time she had seen him, after that he had found out Sasuke's location and had dispelled the clone that was with Ino, Shikamaru and Choji. With that he had charged full speed towards Sasuke's location, intent on ending the war and saving his beloved brother from the hatred he had covered himself within. The next time Ino had seen him was when he had saved her and her young team from the S-ranked criminal, Haruza Kuroha. That man was dirty and she did not even want to think about what he may have had in mind for her and her adorable Genin.

Once again he had shown that he was the saviour of everyone. He had come again just as he was needed, he had appeared just when things had looked their bleakest. And not once, throughout the entire time Naruto had done all of these things for his comrades and even his entire village had he ever asked for anything in return, even with his own pain he did not ask for anything. As Tsunade had said to her before Naruto never asked anyone for anything, he hated feeling like a burden to anyone, even though he must have known that many people owed them their lives and would give a leg for him.

Ino then looked to the direction the voices were slowly drifting from, she could almost pick out the room they were in but decided not to pry. Internally however she was thinking at one hundred miles an hour. _I hope you are able to get through to him and help, you are the last hope we have Sakura _Ino thought to herself.

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><p>Sakura had lead Naruto into the closest bedroom that she could find in the large mansion. She was surprised as to how possessive he was being over her, he was desperately trying to keep a hold of her, and it was almost like he was afraid to lose her. She could hear him still weeping quietly as they had made their way awkwardly into the room. Once they were in she closed the door behind them and led him over to the bed. She sat him down and only then did he relax his grip on her. Looking around the room she could see that it was rather large and was capable of housing at least two people, it had an en suite bathroom and a large window that overlooked the entire village.<p>

She however brought her attention back upon the situation at hand. Naruto. Although he was no longer trying to hold her as tightly as he possibly could he still had his hand tightly holding onto her own. She smiled slightly at his show of affection but also inwardly grimaced, he was so desperately holding onto her. Was he that afraid that she might just up and leave him alone? Surely by now he should have realised that she would not abandon him, especially not after the hell he had put himself through for both of their sakes.

"You hate me don't you?" Naruto asked her. It was not so much a question as it was a statement. It almost left no room for argument in the manner he had said it. She turned to him quickly after he had asked and found that his warmth had retracted from her hand as he had lifted his own from hers. She instantly grabbed at his hand again which forced him to look directly at her. She could see it in his eyes; he hated himself, his question almost sounded like an acceptance of her hatred of him. But how could she hate him? If anything, how could she do anything but love the man before her? He had everything she could have ever asked for in a man but was able to miss for so long.

"What? No, no of course not" Sakura asked her voice betraying her surprise at his question. He looked at her and for a second Sakura was sure that there was hatred within his eyes. Those calm and beautiful eyes that always used to house such hope, right now they stared at her with scorn. As soon as it had appeared though it was gone, and so too were his tears for that matter she noticed.

"You should hat me though… I hate myself" Naruto answered coldly while he looked away from her, to hear him speak such words hurt her deeply. He shouldn't hate himself; in no way shape or form was it every good for anyone to hate themselves. Sakura's grip on his hand tightened when he had spoken those words. "I never kept my promise, Sasuke is dead because I couldn't protect him" Naruto flatly stated as she could see his body tightening, all of his muscles becoming tense.

"No Naruto please don't hate yourself" Sakura pleaded to him, he took notice of her own voice and looked to her, he could see her tears beginning to form also. Her beautiful face should not have tears on it and he had promised himself when she begged him to bring back Sasuke that he would make sure he would not let her cry again. He had failed in that area too it seemed.

" Why can't I? I feel so lost, so alone. The only one in the world who could possibly understand me is dead" Naruto said as he stood up onto his feet and walked over to the window of the room, dropping Sakura's hand as he done so. "This entire village does not know its own luck; I have given up my entire _life_ for a village that showed me nothing but scorn!" Naruto spoke harshly as he looked out over the beautiful scene of Konoha in the sunset.

"Sasuke was like a brother to me and they all viewed him as a traitor, but he was still my brother. I was going to bring him back whether the village was willing to have him or not." Naruto said as his body did not exactly stop shaking from sobs but his posture definitely grew as he stare out over the village. "For all my beliefs though, all the times we tried to bring him back it ended in failure, do you have any idea how that felt?" Naruto asked rhetorically, Sakura however was not going to allow him to walk over her like that in an issue she knew all too well.

"Of course I knew how it felt! He was the man I thought I loved back then! Every time that we failed a little piece of my heart broke!" Sakura screamed at him to which he winced slightly and Sakura was instantly sorry for speaking like that, she should have thought before acting. She did receive her monstrously short temper from her master however.

"I did love him! He was my brother! My heart broke every time we failed too!" Naruto yelled back just as furious and for the first time in her life Sakura saw the angry side of Naruto. He was not annoyed, he was not exasperated. Nope that was anger, an emotion not very commonly found in Naruto and she was scared of it. So scared in fact that she had no response that she could give him. "Then when I thought I had him he was stolen from me! I had him back he was our friend again! I was going to bring him home! He died though, he died saving me" Naruto finished off as his voice became far too calm at the end of his sentence.

Sakura was still sitting in shock at Naruto's outburst, she had hear what he said of course but she could still not get over the fact Naruto had actually lost his temper. It was a scary thing to witness. Naruto turned his back on the window and faced back into the room again, he fixed her with a sad smile.

"I hated myself for so many nights; I would wake up after dreaming through the event over and over. I wished that I could be stronger, that I could have saved him. I wanted Sasuke to at least go into the afterlife in peace, so that one part of his life might actually be peaceful" Naruto said as his smile widened but the tears fell. He too slid down the window until his backside hit the ground and he then rested his arms on his knees, which were up at his chest.

He rested his head on his knees and silently wept into his hands. He was spent. That was it, his heart was on a platter, he had spilled out everything now, ever since coming out of the hospital he had gotten rid of everything. Kakashi had taken all of his hate and Sakura had taken all of his pain, he was so glad there were still remnants of his old team around because he feared he may have destroyed something by now.

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><p>Sakura sat in wait; she did not want to disturb him if he still had more to get off of his chest. His outburst had scared her indeed, she was actually afraid of interrupting him now, she worried that she may set him off if she were to interrupt anything he said. That was not something the old Naruto would have done, but as she had to recognise now, Naruto was no longer his old self. He may still have some of his old quirks and habits, but the young boy was dead, long since replaced by this tormented man.<p>

For a long time she just sat there waiting for him to do something, for him to move or give any indication if he wanted her close to him. He done nothing, he simply kept his head resting on his knees. After a while Sakura lifted herself off of the bed and moved over to the still form of Naruto, his sobbing had long since ebbed. She moved slowly and quietly until she was right before him, slowly she knelt down in front of him and went down onto her knees.

Softly she reached out and took both of Naruto's hands within her own and pulled them towards her. With such a move she cause Naruto to look up at her in confusion. She moved his arms out to the side slightly and then placed both of her hands onto Naruto's knees. She parted them too, by this point Naruto was looking at her exceedingly confused as he had no idea what she was doing. Once his legs were parted and his arms open essentially, still resting on his knees, Sakura made her move.

Sakura moved forward and laced her arms around Naruto's waist. Closing the distance between them quickly Sakura hugged into him tightly again, resting her head on his chest she simply held him. Nothing else was needed, she just wanted to hold him, to physically show him that she was there, she was there for him and only him, there was no other reason for her to be anywhere else. Naruto was momentarily confused, but as he realised Sakura had accepted his apology, he was so happy, many nights he had lain awake wondering just what he could ever say to her.

Slowly he brought his arms around her form and held onto her tightly. Sakura found that she liked where she was just now, bunched up against the solid chest of Naruto with the warmth he promised, she found that she loved where she was just now.

"You don't have to be alone anymore, there are people out there that love you" Sakura said to him softly as she rubbed his back softly. "I know it hurts to lose Sasuke, it hurt me too, but Naruto you are hurting yourself too" Sakura said as she hugged him tighter and Naruto was forced to recognise that she was still mighty strong. "Please don't hurt yourself like you are, I've lost one teammate and I don't want to lose another, it would just hurt too much" Sakura almost begged him. "Naruto, please don't make me lose you, I love you too much to lose you again, I couldn't help back then but I can try and help now" Sakura said as Naruto simply sat in silence allowing the woman to say whatever it was she wished to say. "Please just let me help you" Sakura pleaded as she gripped his clothing and hugged him tighter.

* * *

><p>Naruto smiled at her words, she had not hated him about his failure to retrieve Sasuke because she cared about him too much, she had known the pain of losing Sasuke as he had. They were united in pain, but Naruto would not allow it to continue like that. Sakura's words had reached deep down into his being and awoken something within him. He had those that loved him and cared about him all around him, Sasuke was the first one to recognise him, and after that everyone else had been forced to recognise him. Sasuke was most important to him of course but he doubted Sasuke would like to see him sitting in a sorry state like he was.<p>

Naruto's closed eyes finally opened. His oceanic blue eyes shone out in the darkness as an almost wave of something smashed over him. He could not let his life be ruled by his own self-loathing. He had done what he set out to do after Sasuke had died, he had set his soul to rest by destroying the one who had stolen his eyes, and therefore sending his eyes on to the next life to Sasuke. He had completed his mission just like he had said to Ino in the hospital.

That was when Naruto finally smiled, it was a genuine smile that he wanted everyone to see, he wanted everyone who was worried about him to see this smile and know, just know that he was back. A deep chuckle rolled off his tongue and caused Sakura to look up at the sudden rumbling of his chest to see why he was exactly laughing. She could see his face, when he was not sad; it was like she was staring at the Yondaime himself at that moment and time. Not only that though, she could see the radiance that was coming off of his form.

"Sakura-Chan you have no idea how much I love you just now" Naruto spoke as his smile did not disappear, accompanied by a deep chuckle. With her arms around his waist and her face so close to his he could see the blush that appeared on her face and had to chuckle at that too. "Well I'll be… I never did think that I would be the one to make you blush Sakura-Chan" Naruto joked as he winked at her just to add emphasis onto his joke. Sakura looked at him shocked for a moment before she could even respond.

"Well, you don't just come out and say something like that!" Sakura answered as she drew away from Naruto, even if it was not what she had wanted to do. Naruto moved his head to the side and stopped her from completely removing her arms from his sides as he looked into her eyes deeply.

"Why not?" he asked seriously as he was quickly closing the distance between them, Sakura swore to herself that if her body was to do anything against her will at this moment and time she would seriously hurt it. There was a pit in the bottom of her stomach that was growing intensely hot and that was not exactly the only place either, as a little more south there was more heat radiating too. "I can only speak the truth when I speak about you Sakura-Chan" Naruto finished as he got close enough that his breath was hitting against the skin on her chin and neck. She could feel the Goosebumps tingling and closed her eyes in anticipation.

Imagine her disappointment when she felt hot lips press against her cheek so dangerously close to where her mouth was. When she opened her eyes quickly she found Naruto smiling at her softly.

"Don't worry Sakura-Chan I won't step over boundaries, and anyway it's been too long since I was home I have to get reacquainted with everyone, including you" Naruto said to her and she could have sworn that she picked out his childlike personality surfacing for a moment there. She had to smile at his ways, even if she was ever so ready to kiss him like there was going to be no tomorrow.

"I guess you're right Naruto-kun" Sakura answered as she smiled softly to him. She may be disappointed she didn't get what she expected, but that was far outweighed by the fact that Naruto was back, he was back with them again, she had helped him, all she had wanted to do for him for a long time.

* * *

><p>Naruto and Sakura re-entered the living room a few moments later. Sakura went through first and was followed by Naruto. As soon as both Tsunade and Ino saw both of them they got to their feet and looked to the direction Naruto was standing. Tsunade and Ino's smiles came to their faces very quickly. He was back, the shell had been cast off and Naruto was back amongst them. His smile seemed to radiate from him as he stood in front of them, they could even see the faint blush on Sakura's face alongside a more agitated look. A look Tsunade saw and was almost red in the face herself, she knew exactly why Sakura was acting like that.<p>

Ino had mixed feelings though. She was overjoyed to see that Naruto was back on his feet and he didn't appear to be faking the smile for anyone's sake. Yet at the same time she was feeling slightly useless and jealous of Sakura. She could not help Naruto despite how much she wanted to be able to but Sakura was able to so easily bring him out of his dark area in his life, in short it made her realise that Sakura was just that much closer to Naruto than she was, and honestly she did not like that.

"Well did you kiss and make up then?" Tsunade asked slyly as she watched Sakura's face redden slightly more and her agitated face to also gain some more gusto to it. Naruto however just smiled widely at her as if he had been given a ticket to Ichiraku's for a lifetime supply of Ramen. Naruto looked to the back of Sakura's head before he rested his own hands behind his own head.

"Well, almost" Naruto responded as he winked at Tsunade. The older woman laughed at the way in which Sakura spun around on him in that instant and was ready to destroy him. Ino just watched on sadly, they had almost kissed? It was something she had always expected to happen in the past but never thought it to come to fruition. Even if she had expected it to happen it did not alleviate the pain that was coursing through her heart at that moment and time at all. She wanted to be that close to Naruto, she wanted that love, she wanted that care.

When things settled down again and all were seated Tsunade took great amusement in the way that Naruto had sat down on the couch only to be budged into the middle by Sakura who took her seat right next to him. Almost showing her dominance and that she intended to make Naruto hers if not now then definitely in the future. Ino was not outdone though as she took up the other seat next to Naruto, both cuddled into him and to Tsunade's surprise she saw him resting his arms on the backs of both girls' seats.

"Are you definitely feeling better now Naruto?" Tsunade asked seriously as Naruto cast an even glance at the Hokage, with a toothy grin however he broke the eye contact and nodded his head.

"Yep, both Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-Chan helped me to get through the rough patch I was in" Naruto responded happily and Tsunade noticed the way in which Ino's face contorted in pain at being completely forgotten about.

"That is good to hear Naruto" Tsunade answered happily.

* * *

><p>The room fell into a comfortable silence as both of the woman who had been on either side of Naruto had finally dozed off and were currently resting on Naruto himself. Naruto looked to both women before looking up at Tsunade who was smiling warmly at him.<p>

"Both of those women really love you, you do know that?" Tsunade asked as Naruto looked to her with a slight frown on his face before he actually said anything.

"What do you mean Baa-Chan?" Naruto asked quietly, preferring not to wake up both women who looked so comfortable sleeping on, well him basically.

"Exactly what I said, Sakura and Ino have been worried about you ever since you had almost died under our medical knowledge. It scared both of them to see how close they had come to losing you. I think that Sakura is more aware of her feelings towards you than Ino is however" Tsunade said as Naruto continued to stare at her, not completely confused but still a little out of his element.

"How do you figure?" Naruto asked with a smile as he looked to both women to which Tsunade smiled and then shook her head, either Naruto was playing stupid or he really had no idea, she would give him the benefit of the doubt on this one though.

"Well Sakura seemed slightly agitated when she came out of that room with you, I can only presume things between you were good before being cut short, then the way Ino acted when she found out you may have kissed Sakura seemed almost heart trodden" Tsunade answered as she could literally see the light bulb being switched on in his mind before a look of panic crossed over his face.

"What do I do then? I can't just love one over the other, that's just not fair and not to mention I have not even been home that long, surely I should get used to home again before I even think about these kinds of things" Naruto said as Tsunade smiled at his changes. Being told this six or nine years ago and Naruto would have leapt at the opportunity to be loved by both Ino and Sakura, but the happy-go-lucky boy was replaced by a smart and mature man now. Probably why many of the women wanted him now.

"I think what you should do is, get settled in and then think about how you feel about all of this, but they will still be trying to gain your affections you know?" Tsunade asked as she raised an eyebrow at the young blonde. Naruto simply smile softly before looking at both of the women sleeping on him.

"Well I can't exactly tell them not to love me, I guess I will just have to accept it until I am ready" Naruto said as he looked straight at Tsunade. She smiled warmly, he was too damn considerate for his own good, and for that she was glad, he was back.

"Ah Naruto why did you have to grow up to be such a stand up man? If only you had been born earlier than what you were, I could have even had my shot" Tsunade joked to Naruto who quietly chuckled at the joke. "Well I guess it is down to those girls and whoever else you decide would be appropriate that will be able to have any form of relationship with you" Tsunade said as she stood up and prepared to leave.

"What are you talking about Baa-Chan, about whoever else I pick?" Naruto asked quietly to which Tsunade gained a devilish smirk that threatened to become sinister if not properly maintained.

"Well you are the last surviving member of both the Namikaze and Uzumaki clans, therefore under the CRA, the Clan Restoration Act, you're going to have to have a few wives if you are to bring back the glory of those clans" Tsunade said with a wink as she moved to leave the room, leaving a very confused Naruto. Then it finally dawned on him, he was already given another reason to live besides Sasuke and those he already loved.

He had to restore his clans along with as many wives as it was going to take him. Through them he was going to love all of those wives equally and to the children they would bear, he would love them all individually, not one would get moer love than the other. Bringing his thoughts bck to the present however he brought his thoughts away from future wives and anything like that, first he would have to get his life in Konoha back on track before he thought anymore on things including women and any children, get his own life back on track before he commited himself to anything else…yet.

* * *

><p><em>Well there you guys go, I made an especially long chapter for you ugys because you have been waiting for so long. I apologise and hope that this chapter has been worth the wait. I promise from the bottom of my hear this is the last of Naruto's emotional swings, from now on he will be the same lovable boy he used to be, except the fact he is older obviously. Anyway I hope you enjoyed and I shall se you in my next instalment hopefully R&amp;R please as always =] - Varrukh<em>


	9. Chapter 9 Happiness

The weeks had passed without much hassle. Three weeks had passed ever since Naruto had re-entered the village hidden in the Leaves. It had been more than two weeks since he had finally managed to get over the pain and guilt that had built up within his soul for the last few years.

Currently we find Naruto sitting with a smile on his face not too dissimilar from the ones he used to hold when he was much younger. Now it looked much more mature and thoughtful, instead of childish and ignorant. He was sitting on the bench on the side of one of the rivers running through Konoha. He was sitting with his hands behind his head as he simply stared out at the open expanses of the water that glistened in the beauty of the late evening sunlight.

Too entranced was he in his watching of the evening sky affecting the picture before him, he did not notice the person that was slowly approaching him. Their movements were subtle and quiet, just what was needed to surprise anyone, but most of all Naruto. As Naruto let go of a particularly content sigh he moved further down into the bench and made himself more comfortable.

The sneaking suspect smiled to themself as they realised their position had not been compromised. They moved even closer until they were directly behind Naruto. They silenced their breathing and prepared for their next move. Naruto was not prepared for the next few moments in his life.

Suddenly he felt his eyes being covered over by undeniably feminine hands. What he did not expect was the sudden weight that was applied across his crotch area and down onto his lap with a somewhat mischievous smile Naruto simply decided to play along.

"Guess who" came the voice of what Naruto had expected, a woman. It was not exactly one he was unfamiliar with, indeed it was one that he had come to understand in the last few days. She knew exactly what it was like to be on the same level as him, to be viewed as something monstrous by the entire village in the past. Yet she had managed to regain her credibility in the village and there were no less than a lot of men who would not mind chancing their luck with her.

"I can tell that it's you Anko-Chan" Naruto responded and smiled when he heard the soft whine escaping from Anko's lips. Then her hands were removed from his eyes and he could see the face of Anko right in front of him with no less than a disappointed look on her face.

"How could you know it was me?" She almost demanded of him. With that he smiled at her with his foxy smile that had her face heating up slightly.

"Well first of all, you have a distinct aroma about you…" Naruto began only to be cut off by a somewhat unhappy Anko at such accusations. Honestly! She would kill him if he was saying she smelled bad.

"Hey! I don't smell bad at all, I'll have you know I bathe more than once a day" Anko answered as she looked down at Naruto with a dangerous look in her eyes to which he only smiled at, this shook her slightly.

"I never said you smelled bad, I just said you had a definitive scent, quite a nice smell of snakes about you" Naruto responded without his smile ever faltering. "There is also the fact that there are not many of the other women I know who would so nonchalantly plop themselves down onto my lap like you did" Naruto joked to her to which she softly hit him on the shoulder.

"What can I say, it looked much more comfortable than the bench you're sitting on" Anko replied shrugging her shoulders to which Naruto had to chuckle at. She really was carefree about this kind of stuff around him.

"I guess I can understand that kind of logic" Naruto said as he brought his hands from behind his head and rested them on his sides. He stared at Anko - who was looking extremely comfortable on his lap - contentedly. She caught sight of his staring at her and moved directly into his line of sight.

"What you staring at?" Anko asked seriously, trying to make him feel nervous, however her tactic came up as not working when Naruto smiled at her once again before he answered her.

"Unless I can look right through you Anko-Chan then I am probably looking at you, wouldn't you agree?" Naruto asked as he chuckled lightly at the way in which Anko seemed like she could kill him right now if she had really wanted to. Then again she could not deny that she would prefer to see him like this than she had seen him in the first week he had endured back at the village.

"See something that you like then do you?" Anko asked him softly as she stroked down her curves in front of him with a mischievous grin on her face, she felt her smile widen when she felt something underneath her seat beginning to grow. "I can see that something certainly does anyway" Anko said as she winked at Naruto who did actually seem flustered for the first time. She had been trying for the last week or so to fluster him with her flirting but had come up with nothing. Something seemed to be going her way now though.

"Sorry Anko-Chan, I guess my self-control is not up to scratch then is it?" Naruto asked sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head and his face had taken on a deep crimson colour. In his mind however he was arguing with himself as he couldn't believe he allowed Anko to feel something he had not intended for her to feel. His mind was stopped however when he saw Anko grin at him before she spoke again and almost made him burst.

"Oh, that's alright Naruto-kun, remember you said I'd be the first so I don't mind in the slightest" Anko said to him in a husky voice before she winked at him and lifted herself off of his lap and stood up in front of him. She looked down at him and could see his flustered appearance completely gone, his cool and calm demeanour had returned, she already hated how quickly he could recover like that.

"You are such a tease do you know that Anko-Chan?" Naruto asked as Anko looked directly at him and smiled at him with the most beautiful smile he had ever seen on her face.

"Yep I know that very well thank you, I'm just glad I finally managed to beat you at the teasing game, you were the hardest I've faced so far" Anko admitted to which Naruto once again smiled at her. She could honestly get used to seeing that smile forever. It promised so much to her that she had been neglected most of her life. Friendship, love, compassion. All of them he could give her and he undoubtedly would as he would anyone else. She wanted more than what everyone else would get though; she wanted special treatment as selfish as it may sound.

"It's not like I tried to be an inconvenience, I just knew the words to use that would have you struggling to win" Naruto responded as he felt the tightness in his pants receding and got up from his seat on the bench, he felt all hot and knew exactly what his body wanted to do. He was not yet prepared for it mentally and as such knew that he would have to rid himself of his 'tension' otherwise.

"I see you recover quickly in all areas, that was much larger a few seconds ago" Anko pointed out as she looked down to his crotch area to which Naruto also found his gaze shifting, seeing that his pants were back to normal, as if nothing had ever transpired.

"Yes well, I guess you could say my self-control can be good at times" Naruto lied as he made to walk away from Anko towards any one of the training grounds that had a lake in them. Anko smirked when she heard his reply and knew instantly that he was still hot under the collar and knew instinctively that his body must have been tense.

"You know we could get rid of your tenseness together if you want?" Anko said to Naruto as she winked at him suggestively. Naruto simply smiled at her before replying.

"Maybe someday, but not today Anko-Chan" Naruto said as he was suddenly behind her with his arms wrapped around her stomach firmly. His hold felt so comforting and at the same time warm. He had whispered into her ear so darkly and sexily that Anko felt her own heat levels rise. Then just as quick as he had moved from in front of her to behind her and hugging her form. He had vanished away from her and left a very aggravated Anko… never a good thing to do as many people who got in her way while she stalked home would tell you.

* * *

><p>Naruto chuckled to himself as he thought about the way he had managed to get one back on Anko. It had become somewhat of a game for them ever since he had finally regained full mental health again. They would both banter back and forth and try their best to seduce the other with their charms, Anko would always struggle with Naruto as he seemed impervious to her charm, she was however too susceptible to his own. She just could not resist whenever he whispered in her ear in his husky tone, it was like her body gave up its fight and he won their game.<p>

She hated it so much; he was the best at the game she had been queen of for so long. At the same time though it did not seem to bother her as it gave her a reason to spend time with him and get to know him better, in her eyes it gave her a spot in his heart. And in all honesty he did have a spot in his heart for her now, she understood what it was like to go through the same stuff as him and because of that they already shared a bond of sorts with each other.

What they both done now was in a way the method in which they bonded, it was not quite at any romantic level by any means, they just found the fun in teasing each other, knowing their opponent to be just as hard to beat as themselves, it was only a bit of fun for them both. Even if Anko was a bit more honest about the whole thing, Naruto was no idiot, he's keep to his promise, one day.

Naruto surveyed his current surroundings. He was standing in a large open field with long grass, surrounding him on most sides was mountainous areas, the only difference being that there were gaps where the gates in and out of the area were. This was training ground 14. He had no real idea as to why he was here but turned around and saw something that made him smile. How he had managed to miss it upon first glance stupefied him but nonetheless he had managed to miss it.

In the centre of the clearance were four figures. One of them much larger than the other three and they were fighting against the other three too. All figures were feminine with one of them being clearly Jonin and the other three Genin, he had come across Ino and her Genin team in training. It seemed like quite some tough training too, Ino was punching and kicking at her Genin with a surprising amount of force and the girls were taking the hits rather well.

Naruto watched in silence as the team continued their exercise for another ten minutes. It was not exactly one sided by any means too, once or twice the girls had managed to get a hit into Ino. He could also see the agility of Hiku Hyuga that had helped her evade a few of Ino's attacks. He had no doubt the girl was probably being taught the arts of her clan by two of its greatest members.

Noma and Kyoki did not seem to be too shy about fighting either. Both had managed to land at least a couple of blows on Ino and he could see that despite the pain in her facial expression Ino was proud of her Genin team. Naruto smiled before he walked out of his watching place, catching all of their attentions. Ino smiled to him softly while the three girls looked at him in surprise, not expecting to see their saviour while they were training.

"Hey girls, how's it going?" Naruto asked casually to which he received a smile from Noma. The other girls did give him smiles of course but they paled in comparison to the one given to him by Noma.

"Not bad Naruto, we're training here is all, what are you doing here?" Ino asked as she stood up straight from her fighting position and looked directly over at Naruto who was slowly walking over to the group. He gained a smile on his face that just spoke volumes of his mischievous endeavours.

"Oh you know, I thought I would come here and see how you girls were getting on" Naruto responded casually to which Ino closed her eyes and while looking away sighed playfully.

"So it has nothing to do with the fact that you were running away from Anko?" Ino asked nonchalantly to which Naruto simply got red in the face, Ino turned around with her eyes barely open and could see the red face he currently sported.

"Hey that woman has been chasing me non-stop to try and beat me at our game, she finally done it too, then I got her back" Naruto said confidently as he smiled widely at the fact he had won at the game again.

"Wow, and here I was going out on a guess, thanks for proving me right Naruto-kun" Ino said sweetly to which Naruto looked at the victorious smile on Ino's face and simply face-faulted. The three girls all giggled at the antics of the adults, especially the way in which their sensei had seen right through Naruto so easily.

"Damn!" Naruto cried out as he fell to his knees as tears fell from his eyes and he stared up to the heavens, throwing his arms out wide. He was suddenly covered in a column of light before he spoke. "How could I have been so foolish to fall for such a ploy!" Naruto cried out to the sky.

Ino and her team simply stood and stared at the spectacle before them before Ino laughed at Naruto. "Honestly Naruto what are you doing?" Ino asked as she still giggled throughout her question.

"Asking Kami why I fell for such a simple ploy, he told me that you are a genius and that I must watch out for you" Naruto said as he looked to her with mock seriousness in his voice, to which once again Ino found herself laughing at.

"Well at least he got one thing right, I am a genius" Ino laughed as her team watched the banter between the two adults. Ino stood proudly as Naruto had yet to get on his feet and leave the column of light. "Naruto?" Ino asked after she had laughed enough.

"Yes?" Naruto responded as he looked to her through the light of the column he was in. His features shining brightly at her.

"How did you manage to do that, it's like Gai-sensei and Lee calibre Genjutsu when we were younger" Ino said as Naruto face-faulted once again at such words being spoken about him.

"You have some very harsh words Ino-Chan, never did I think that you would destroy me with words" Naruto responded as the column disappeared and suddenly Naruto was bent over with a dark cloud hovering over his body.

"Oh be quiet Naruto, I know you are too happy and energetic to stay like that for too long, if you do then I guess ramen all around the world would weep" Ino said and was not surprised when it got an instant response from Naruto, with him leaping up onto his feet and staring at her.

"Ramen in distress! Never fear! Naruto is here!" Naruto proclaimed as he pointed directly to the sky. It was only when he looked back at those before him that he realised he had made quite the fool of himself in front of rather a lot of people. "Ah, you all just saw that, damn" Naruto said simply as he smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

* * *

><p>It took a few moments of silence before anything was said again, and it just so happened that it had to be Naruto to break the silence because all four of the females were quietly snickering at his expense.<p>

"So how well are you three girls getting on? Do you think you are at Chunin level yet?" Naruto asked as he smiled down at all three of them, he received three affirmative nods from them all and smiled even wider at them. He turned to Ino before asking her too. "What do you think Ino-Chan, do you think that your team are prepared to be Chunin?" Naruto asked to which Ino smiled at him again.

"Yes Naruto-kun, I do believe that all of my lovely ladies are ready to go on to become Chunin, they just need to keep training so that they can be prepared for the upcoming Chunin exams in Kumo in 5 months' time" Ino responded to which she received happy smiles from all of the girls on her team. Naruto also smiled with them.

"In any case, you'll be doing better than me anyway" Naruto said as the three girls looked at him curiously and Ino smiled somewhat sadly and happily.

"What do you mean Naruto-Sensei?" Kyoki asked and it took Naruto a few moments to respond after being called Sensei. He hadn't been called that word before either. Sensei and Foxy-Chan, both names he would never have expected for himself but then again he did not hate the names. He regained himself momentarily and explained.

"Well, that's because I am still technically a Genin" Naruto responded to which the three girl's jaws hit the ground and stared at the blonde man before them who was simply smiling at their reaction.

"No way" Hiku said as she looked at Naruto and thought about all she had seen and heard about him doing. "Ino-sensei it can't be true, he can't just be a Genin, can he?" Hiku asked her sensei unbelievingly until she heard laughter from her sensei.

"Well you see, Naruto never passed the Chunin exams and never tried again, so he has never moved up the Shinobi ranks like everyone else" Ino explained as Naruto nodded and smiled at the same time to everything that was being said.

"But, we've seen what he can do! There are no Genin alive that can do what he can!" Kyoki tried to argue to which Naruto laughed out loud and Ino giggled a bit to herself too before responding to her student's question.

"That is true, it is only on paper than Naruto-Kun's rank is Genin, in actual physical terms Naruto-kun has probably been at Kage level for how long now Naruto? Maybe 6 years?" Ino asked to which Naruto put his index finger to his chin and looked like he was thinking before he shrugged his shoulders.

"Although he may hold the rank of Genin just look at how strong he is, if you become a Chunin though, you can still literally order him around, not much he can do against you as you'll outrank him" Ino said to her team as they all grinned while looking at Naruto evilly. Naruto took it upon himself to squeal very loudly as the looks were becoming somewhat scary.

"This is no fair, it's like four on one here, at least give me a chance!" Naruto cried out as he waved his hand out in front of his face, his face smiling as sweat poured down his face. All of the girls giggled at his antics before he dropped his arms to his side with a smile of his own on his face.

* * *

><p>"You all just about done then?" Naruto asked casually to which Ino turned to look at him quizzically.<p>

"Why? What did you have in mind?" Ino asked as Naruto turned to her with his smile aimed directly at her. She wondered how she had ever worried about this man a few weeks ago; looking at him now would not indicate any hardships he had had to face in his life.

"Well I was going to go and get a bite to eat, and since we are all here I guess we could all go out together" Naruto explained as the girls all looked up at him happily; it had been a while since they had went out for something to eat. The prospect was definitely met with a positive reaction. All three heads turned to their blonde haired Sensei who seemed to buckle under the weight of their gazes on her.

"Am I to guess that you three want to go out for something to eat with Naruto-kun then?" Ino asked as she laughed along softly as she spoke, Naruto had already wormed his way into her team's hearts and he had barely even known them for more than three weeks. All three girls nodded their head in the affirmative to which Ino happily sighed alongside. "Very well then" Ino said as she smiled at all of her team jumping around happily.

"Don't worry Ino-Chan, it's all on me" Naruto said happily as he began to walk out of the training area towards his intended direction. Ino could already tell where it was that he was planning to go and dusted herself off before she too moved off after him. It was only when their sensei moved did any of the girls decided to move along also. They followed the blonde haired man closely only now realising just how big he was. On average a male may reach about 5ft 9in if they were lucky, but Naruto stood at least 6ft tall. Adding to this image was the fact that his very clothing made him almost look like an almost identical twin to the Yondaime Hokage, his facial construction also helped to lead towards a similar mistake by many people.

As they walked the three girls could see the looks that Naruto received from many of the villagers once they finally re-entered the village. He received very many happy looks and smiles from a vast majority of villagers and those who did not smile at him bowed towards him respectfully. While the girls were completely oblivious to the significance of such actions from the villagers but Ino was a completely different story.

She could see the way that those who greeted him had changed drastically from when they were younger. As much as the adults thought they had the children fooled, sometimes children are far smarter than their parents realise. Ino was one such case and due to this she knew of the ways the villagers treated him, just not what the cause of such anger and hatred was. It was not until he had basically told her himself did she finally realise the burden that Naruto held on his shoulders. As a result she smiled when she saw the way in which Naruto could now walk through the village confidently.

He quite rightly should have been able to do so anyway, everyone in the village owed him one for taking down pein and for winning the war for them. That and taking out all of the threats posed to the entire world, those who possessed the Sharingan. Naruto was the Pariah turned hero of the village and Ino could not help but smile at the irony of Naruto's situation. His absence from the village had meant he no longer knew his status amongst the village, if anything he was something of a celebrity amongst the villagers of Konoha and even many of the Shinobi.

Naruto finally turned the corner that lead to Ichiraku's Ramen and Ino smiled as she would never have put it past Naruto to have come to this place. He moved forwards much quicker once the aroma of the ramen reached his senses and stopped suddenly, all four women behind him had to suddenly halt also or else risk running into his back, although Ino wasn't going to be one to complain.

"Ladies First" Naruto said as he turned to them and indicated with his arm that they should proceed before him. All four of them simply gawked at him, they had thought that there was some form of problem before them, yet it was just Naruto being a nice guy, Ino would have to get used to the new Naruto who was aware of himself now.

Ino smiled before she and her Genin team lifted up the individual curtains and took their seats on the individual stools. They did not wait long for someone to appear at the counter.

"Hello, how can I help you today?" Ayame asked happily as she recognised at least one of the people who had just entered the shop. Ino was not a frequent customer, but that did not mean she did not drop by from time to time, even if just for a chat to get Ayame out of her idleness. Ino smiled at the older woman before she looked down to her Genin team.

"What do you all want then?" Ino asked as all three of the girls suddenly had thinking expressins on their faces whilst looking at the menu. Almost instantaneously they all answered at the same time.

"Miso pork Ramen!" All three of them chorused together which took Ino by surprise, and Ayame too for that matter, it had indeed been a while from someone had eaten that dish. She smiled at the thought though.

"My, my the last person who ate that flavour of Ramen could eat it until it came out of his ears" Ayame joked to them all only for them to hear the sound of a body impacting upon the ground. All four women sitting on the stools turned around to find Naruto laying there with a dark cloud hovering over him while he muttered 'harsh words, such harsh words'. It was not long until he was back on his feet again and moved into the Ramen bar himself and saw the astonished look on Ayame's face.

"Harsh words Ayame-Chan, I always thought you enjoyed making me my Ramen? I guess I was wrong?" Naruto asked as he mocked hurt, he was not prepared when he heard a commotion and suddenly saw Ayame leaping over the counter at him and he had to quickly catch her before she fell to the ground. She clung tightly to him as if she expected him to be an apparition of himself. Nonetheless there he stood, tall and proud, and with that trademark smile of his on his face. She had barely changed all that much since the last time he had seen her, though he could not deny the feeling of things soft against his chest.

"Hi Ayame-Chan" Naruto said happily. "I guess it has been a while since we last saw each other hasn't it?" Naruto asked softly as Ayame looked up at him and the sad smile that he had. She just smiled back at him before resting her head on his chest.

"Yes Naruto it has, it really has been too long" Ayame said as she hugged into him tighter, from behind the counter a commotion could be heard as yet another person made their presence known. They looked much older than Naruto had last seen them and definitely looked like the years were doing them no favours. Yes there before them was the much older form of Teuchi, the store owner.

"Naruto, my boy!" Teuchi boomed at the young man to which Naruto could only smile at, Teuchi was always one of those who were really kind to him. However when Teuchi saw the way that his daughter was holding onto Naruto and the way that Naruto was supporting her he felt his eyebrow rising slightly in question. "Mind telling me when this one happened, and at that when the wedding is?" Teuchi asked bluntly as Naruto and Ayame instantly released each other with very red faces.

"Father!" Ayame squealed at her father who simply smiled and Naruto simply stood still with a shocked expression on his face. Ino inwardly smiled at the interaction between the three it seemed so peaceful and happy, no wonder Naruto loved these two. She could also not help but notice that despite the point being made neither of them denied anything about what had been said.

"What? It was only a joke, you realise it was a joke, right Naruto?" Teuchi asked the young man who was still standing as still as he had been for the last few moments. Suddenly Naruto shook his head and focussed in on Teuchi again.

"huh… oh yeah, I understood the joke Teuchi-San" Naruto responded as Teuchi smiled softly before speaking up again. "Now anyway, you came here for something to eat, and with these four beautiful young ladies I see, now tell me, what can I get you all?" Teuchi asked with a smile as he rubbed his hands together, getting ready to start his culinary skills.

"Well the girls said they all wanted Miso Ramen" Ayame said as she moved back behind the counter next to her father, the blush had yet to subside from her face, such insinuations were somewhat embarrassing and maybe even true, she would admit to nothing though. Teuchi raised his eyebrow before he let loose a light chuckle before looking at Naruto.

"I expected that from you Naruto" Teuchi admitted to which Naruto responded with a smile.

"I do want some of that, maybe three or four for me though, Ino what would you like? And also get as many as you want because I plan on eating until I'm full" Naruto admitted as the girls looked up at him with smiles on their faces, Ino could just tell the bill was going to sting Naruto.

"Two"

""Three"

"Four" came the voices of Hiku, Kyoki and Noma in that order as to how many bowls of Ramen they wanted. Naruto smiled before he turned to Ino who sighed before shrugging her shoulders and giving her answer.

"Very well, give me two Sushi Ramen" Ino said as she received smiles from all around her. She could not tell when she had last felt this comfortable when eating with others, her team she could eat with happily as they were almost as close as family, but otherwise it was sometimes awkward to eat with people she never usually ate with.

* * *

><p>It was not long before all of the bowls of Ramen were set out before all of them and were being stared at hungrily by Naruto and the three other Genin. Ino at least had the decency to hide how hungry she actually was, though she would not deny that her bowl of ramen looked simply delicious.<p>

Naruto leaned forward and picked out five pairs of chop sticks. Twirling them all around in his fingers he threw them all up into the air and with four separate flicks of his index finger sent the sets of chopsticks at the four others at the counter with him. All present smiled at the showmanship showed by Naruto.

"Was there any real reason behind that Naruto?" Teuchi asked as he stood behind the counter with his arms folded and his brow raised in question. Naruto simply shrugged his shoulder in response before answering.

"To look good I suppose, if you got it, why not flaunt it?" Naruto asked happily as the three Genin at the table smiled at him while the other two older women thought about the many other innuendos that could be taken from that one sentence. Nevertheless all five customers snapped their chopsticks into their separate pieces. Naruto raised his into the air before saying.

"Itadakimasu!" he said happily before he began eating his Ramen with a wide smile on his face, even to the extent where his eyes closed. The three young girls looked at each other before they literally copied his exact movements. "Itadakimasu!" they all said together before they dug into their meals with just a little less vigour than Naruto had. Ino looked between all four of them before she snapped her chopsticks into their separate pieces and quietly said "Itadakimasu" before she began eating her meal slowly and enjoying the flavour. As she looked between Naruto and the girls she wondered if any of them could even taste the Ramen.

It took almost no time for the four of them to finish their meals, granted that Hiku did only have two to eat like Ino. After they were all done they leaned back in their seats and patted their stomachs contently as they smiled at the meal they had just consumed. Ayame and Teuchi cleared away the empty ramen bowls and moved them over to the washing area to clean them.

"Did you all like that then?" Naruto asked as he looked to the three Genin especially, but he did also mean to add in Ino to the question. The girls all smiled at him simultaneously after he had asked the question, and taking them as yeses Naruto then turned to Ino who had been looking at the reaction of her team. When she realised his gaze was on her she felt the heat on her face rising and turned towards him.

"Yes it was nice, thank you Naruto-kun" Ino answered to which Naruto once again smiled, Ino was so happy to see that smile again, it was like it was trying to get out as much as it could now, from being locked away for so long.

"You're welcome, you too girls" Naruto said as he smiled down at the three girls who were talking amongst themselves at that point. They turned to him when he had spoken to them and smiled.

"Thank you for the meal Naruto-Senpai" the girls answered to which Naruto face faulted and fell to the ground as the same dark cloud hovered over his body.

"From Sensei to Senpai, I liked Sensei better" Naruto said as Ino laughed at the manner in which Naruto had taken such a small alteration in his name.

"Don't worry about it Naruto-Kun just get the status of Jonin in the next 6 months or so and they may call you Sensei again" Ino joked as she noticed that suddenly Naruto's head had snapped up again and was looking directly at her.

"That's it! I will become a Jonin and I'll become a Sensei! Now I know what my goal will be!" Naruto said as he fist pumped into the air. Ino looked at him quizzically, she had always thought Naruto wanted to be the Hokage, but with this proclamation it seemed otherwise.

"What happened to your dream of becoming Hokage? I thought that was your goal in life?" Ino asked as Naruto looked towards her with a soft smile now.

"Well I did always want to be Hokage, but that was just so that everyone in the village would recognize and respect me, but I don't have to become Hokage to do that anymore, the village already respects me" Naruto responded sounding genuinely happy, at this the older trio all smiled at Naruto, it was nice for him to realise that the village had actually changed their perspective of him. Even if it was at a great amount of effort on his part.

"It does not help either that Kakashi-Sensei is going to get the position in three months' time and will probably hold the position for a further 30 years probably" Naruto joked as the others with him laughed alongside him.

"You never know Naruto-kun, Kakashi-Sensei may step down and give you the position, you know how lazy he can be" Ino said with a smile on her face that Naruto returned.

"I guess that's right, at the same time I think Kakashi-Sensei will take this seriously, this is not something that affects just him but the village as a whole, no I think Kakashi-Sensei will hold the position well" Naruto said as he smiled at the thought of his teacher being the leader of the entire village, he doubted his life was anywhere near over yet and guessed he would possibly be Hokage one day anyway.

"At least he won't have to worry about enemies of this village being stronger than him anyway" Ino interjected to which Naruto and everyone else looked at her with quizzical looks on their faces. "Well Naruto-Kun, you managed to face off against him on equal terms didn't you? So if there is someone stronger than him then there is still you around to help him" Ino said as Naruto smiled at the praise he was receiving.

"You see what I mean? How can he be a Genin when he can match the strength of a Jonin?" Hiku asked from her seat towards Ino who simply raised her eyebrow at the somewhat exasperated question from the young girl.

"Ino-Sensei already said it was only on paper that Naruto-Senpai was a Genin, she said he was as strong as a Kage in physical terms" Kyoki answered her teammate who shut her mouth at that moment and time or risk embarrassing herself further, not before she muttered a quiet 'sorry'.

* * *

><p>Naruto was unsure as to what he could really say after that, it had turned so much into what level of power that he was, that he did not quite know what he could really say after the subject. As a result they all sat in silence as they could hear the sounds of bowly and other utensils being washed. It was only when Kyoki yawned and stretched did Naruto particularly take any notice of the time. He looked out from under the curtain to the ramen bar and found it to be dark already.<p>

When he brought his head back inside of the curtain he found that all three girls were yawning and stretching. Looking to Ino he could see the warm expression she had for all three of them, it was like th girls were more of a family to her than her little students, it was both touching and sad at the same time. Touching that she cared for them so deeply but sad too because of the distinct possibility that as Shinobi they may die. Nonetheless Naruto smiled at the way Ino looked to the girls.

"I think it might be time for us all to head home, what do you girls say?" Ino asked her team who all nodded their heads sleepily. Ino nodded her head at them too before she stood up from her seat and turned to the owners of the ramen stand.

"Thank you Teuchi-san, Ayame-chan, I enjoyed the food as did my students" Ino said to both of them as both their head appeared around the wall dividing the counter from the kitchen behind the wall.

"No problem Ino-san! Only happy to help" Teuchi answered as he smiled at her and waved her off. "You too Naruto, stop by again and see us" Teuchi called over to Naruto who was smiling and nodding his head in return. He then turned his attention on the four girls before him.

"Would you like us to walk you home too Noma?" Ino asked the young girl who shook her head vigorously at the question while waving her hands frantically.

"No it's okay! My house is too much of a walk from any of your houses and I don't want you to be walking to one end of the village and then back" Noma said to the three girls before them, Ino looked like she was about to argue but was saved the need when Naruto made himself noticed.

"I can walk her home if you want, I mean I am in no rush home and don't mind in the slightest" Naruto said as he smiled brightly at Ino who looked very grateful at that one moment and time. Noma looked like she wanted to argue but found that any words she tried to form just died in her mouth.

"Thank you Naruto, I know that she is a Shinobi but I just want to make sure that there are no people causing any problems for her, she's not exactly the most open of people with me and I worry about her sometimes" Ino said to Naruto quietly so that the girls could not hear them. Naruto nodded his head in acknowledgment before he walked over to where Noma was standing and smiled down at her.

"Don't worry Noma-Chan I'm only going to make sure that you make it home alright, you have my word everything will be alright and if not you can tell Ino-Chan, and she'll probably kill me" Naruto said to which Noma looked at Ino who nodded her head in the affirmative, she giggled despite the forthcoming events that she was not looking forward to.

* * *

><p>Without much other ado the group split off into the due of Naruto and Noma and Ino, Hiku and Kyoki. Naruto and Noma walked in silence for a long time. Naruto could see it from what little he could see of her face that she was not happy, even in the little light of the night he could see her sad face.<p>

"What is wrong Noma-Chan, is there anything wrong? I thought you'd be happy that you got to eat Ramen, everyone feels happy after eating Ramen!" Naruto said happily to the young girl who rounded on his waving her arms in front of her and shaking her head.

"No I was happy, I was very happy that you bought me Ramen" Noma answered quickly which caused Naruto to stop and look at her face which was clearer due to the moonlight that was glowing.

"Then what is wrong?" Naruto asked softly. Noma looked down to the ground and clenched her fists tightly before she simply turned and walked away.

"Nothing" was her simply reply as she walked on again in the same direction that she had. Naruto was confused as to the sudden change in character but decided to uphold his promise and walked slightly behind her, at least letting her know he was still close-by. That was until they came to an apartment complex, this one looked hauntingly familiar to the one that he had grown up in. she stopped and then looked back to him.

"Thank you for walking me home Naruto-Senpai but this is where I live so you can go home now too" Noma said as she began to walk towards the complex and up one of the sets of stairs, Naruto watched until she disappeared completely from his view.

Noma walked up the stairs until she had reached the top floor. Once doing so she waked along one of the long balconies until she came to another set of stairs that let on to the roof of the complex. Walking over to where there was a small tent and some provisions outside it she smiled sadly at the sight before her, this was home.

All she really had was a tent, a futon, some food that she had managed to buy through the money she had made on missions and some spare sets of the same clothes she had. Other than that she was basically running on nothing at all. She sighed at the situation she was in but knew of no other way about it. She was an orphan, she had been for a long time now, ever since she was about 4 or 5 years old, her parents had died during the Sand and Sound invasion over 9 years ago.

She had been alone for all of that time, ever since she could feasibly look after herself. There was no way she wanted anyone to ever be made aware of her situation. That was why she never let her team walk her home, she did not want them to realise her situation, it was shameful and painful to her. Then today when Naruto wanted to walk her home he came perilously close to finding out but she hoped that she had managed to chase him off with her colder demeanour.

Moving into the tent Noma made herself comfortable before she took out some of the scrolls she had been told to learn before the Chunin exams. She had been given a few Jutsu that Ino believed would help her in the upcoming exams and Noma intended to learn them and become Chunin, if anything it was to prove that she could do it, but also because the pay was slightly better.

She moved slightly so that she could reach for the small candle that was inside her pack. She took it out and placed it inside a small glass cylinder. She then moved her hand over the candle before clicking her index finger and thumb together and sparking up the candle.

"You know, that is a really cool trick" came a voice from directly in front of her. Noma looked up instantly and found the face of the man that she had seen barely even a few moments ago. Naruto stood opposite her tent with his arms folded, through the light coming from the candle Noma could see that Naruto seemed to be unhappy, and despite herself hoped that he was not angry at her because she was keeping her situation a secret.

"Naruto-Senpai! What are you doing here?" Noma asked nervously to which Naruto looked up and Noma could now see the rather angry look on Naruto's face.

"I think the better question is why _you_ are here Noma-Chan" Naruto said to the young girl who bowed her head in defeat, it was too late, she had been caught, it was not like she could exactly lie her way out of this situation. Naruto was a top notch Shinobi and would be able to see through her Genin level deception.

When Noma did not reply to him straight away Naruto continued on. "Noma-Chan why have you not told anyone about this, I mean surely you can't be happy living like this?" Naruto asked softly now. Noma looked up at him with tear soaked eyes before her head bowed back down again and she found the ground much more interesting.

"I didn't want anyone to know that I was living out on the street, everyone would have laughed at me in the Academy if they knew this" Noma said quietly. Naruto nodded his head in understanding, kids could be cruel people sometimes, even if they did not realise it sometimes, they could be really cruel. "Then when I came onto my team, I didn't want them to know either, Ino-Sensei, Hiku-Chan and Kyoki-Chan worry about me enough as it is and I never wanted them to worry about me even more than they already did" Noma finished as Naruto was left to stand and think about what she had said.

The girl definitely had her early life just as hard as him. He honestly felt that she might even have had a harder time than him. He may have been orphaned since birth but at least the Hokage had gotten him and apartment and paid rent for him in his infancy. Noma on the other hand sounded like she had been living on the streets ever since she was very little, which he had to commend her for, becoming a Shinobi from living on the streets to him sounded like quite a feat.

As he saw her current living conditions he could not help but feel angry at the way she was living. How could he not? She was living not only on her own, but on the roof of an apartment complex. If it was to rain there was no way that her tent would keep out all of the rain that would fall. It was almost a definite that she would possibly get soaked and then get sick. Then it dawned on him that even if she were to be sick ther was no solace in staying at home in a nice comfortable bed, she was stuck outside.

Naruto was both sickened and shocked at his sudden realisation of the young girl. She was already having a tough life, he did not want someone to have to experience what he had been brought up to know. All he knew was loneliness when he was younger, he did not want her to suffer from the same fate as him, he did not want her to have to stay out on this rooftop for the rest of her life.

"Noma-Chan, do you like it here?" Naruto asked softly at which Noma lifted her head and looked at Naruto. She could see it from his posture that he was seriously aggravated by something and feared she may have angered him just by her living conditions.

"I don't have anything else, so it is all I have to live with" Noma admitted as Naruto's body seemed to get even more tense, Noma worried that he might just explode right there and then. She was surprised when she saw his shoulders sag down again and he released a breath he had been holding in, he then turned to her slowly and she wondered what he was going to do next.

"Noma-Chan, you don't have to live like this if you don't want to" Naruto said to her softly. At that she looked up at his face to see an honest smile on his face that promised her the things he said were true, and she so hoped that they were true, she hated her life the way she had it right there and then.

"If you really want to then you can get out of the loneliness that you are currently in, I have been there so I know your pain, I knew you were an orphan but I never knew that you had to live on the streets Noma-Chan" Naruto said sadly to which the girl simply kept on staring at him. If her thoughts were correct then Naruto was offering her something she had only ever dreamt of ever since a young age. "I have a large house that has plenty of spare bedrooms in it, if you really want to then you are free to take on of the spare rooms if your only other alternative is to sleep out here" Naruto said as he looked around himself as he spoke.

Noma had not been this happy ever since she had found out that she could actually enrol at the Shinobi academy. Since then she had only been closely this happy when she met her team and Sensei. Other than that, this moment very well might have just taken the cake. She was being offered a place to live, a better place from what she was forced to live in. it may have been down to her own pride but she had never wanted to burden anyone with her problems, least of all her sensei or her teammates.

Naruto was worried in case he may have stepped over some lines when he saw the tears hitting the ground before her. What he was not able to see however, was the smile that was present on her face. There was never a clearer answer to her than the one she was going to say, if there was a clearer answer then she was clearly blind to it and did not care about that at all.

"Are you sure about this Naruto-Senpai? I won't become a burden in your household if I do come to live with you? I don't want to get in your way or prove to be more of a pain than I should be" Noma said quietly, Naruto smiled satisfactory once he realised that her tears were ones of happiness and not sadness.

"No it is alright Noma-Chan, I would not have offered you a place to live if I did not think it was unsuitable, you are more than welcome to live with me if you are otherwise forced to live out here" Naruto said as he smiled warmly down at her, Noma felt her tears fall but also felt her cheeks rising as her smile widened too.

Noma leapt to her feet and rushed towards Naruto. He was only just in time as he caught the small girl in his arms as she literally threw herself at him. He smiled while he heard her laughing sobs that wracked her body and his; he would make her life better. He could not even think of anything else to do after he realised her situation. He would not be able to sleep at night if he was to do so in the knowledge that this small girl was sleeping out in the hellish weather while he was wrapped up comfortably in his warm bed.

* * *

><p>They stayed like that for a long time. Noma was too happy to release the one who had made her life significantly better just by simply providing her with a warm bed. Naruto left her to do as she pleased, understanding that this must have come as a great surprise for her to suddenly be offered with a place to stay, he was much the same when the Third Hokage had given him the apartment he lived in. it was only after a good few minutes that Noma finally released herself from his embrace and landed on the ground, hugging into his chest did include her having to jump up to reach it.<p>

"Thank you Naruto-Senpai, no-one has ever offered me a place to live before" Noma said happily to which Naruto simply smiled at her.

"That is alright Noma-Chan, I'm sure someone might have if you just told them about it, but I do realise I only know because I found you, don't worry about it though, tonight you will be able to sleep in a nice warm bed" Naruto said as the girl in front of him beamed back up at him. He smiled down at her before he spoke again. "Noma-Chan get your things together, because as of now you are an honorary member of the Uzumaki clan, under my roof" Naruto said as she smiled up at him again.

"Noma Uzumaki, I like it" Noma said quietly to herself as she set about picking up all of the things that she would need for her new accomodations at Naruto's house. She was going to leave the tent as it would otherwise be useless inside a house, the futon she would take alongside the candle and her scrolls obviously. She picked up all of the pieces of food she had accumulated too, her reasoning being that she might as well make some form of contribution if she was going to live there now.

While Noma had been moving around and getting together all of her things, Naruto had been standing completely still as he worked over what she had just said. "Noma Uzumaki, I like it" those were her words and they were the words that he was repeatedly playing over in his head. The name did seem to fit and it almost felt as if it was right, like it was meant to be that way. As he thought about it he believed he may have found a solution to another reason for her sadness, a way that he could make her even more happier if she was at least supportive of the idea but he would not ask now as it would be far too much for her to process at the one time, maybe once they got everything back to his house.

Noma turned to him with everything she was going to need all bustled around her. She had her futon rolled under her arm with a backpack full of everything else that she decided she would need. Naruto chuckled lightly at her before he brought out a scroll from one of his backside pouched.

"I see Ino-Chan hasn't taught you the wonderful thing that is sealing scrolls" Naruto said through his chuckles as Noma looked at him blankly. "Take off your backpack and place it and your futon on the ground and I'll show you" Naruto said as Noma done exactly as asked. Naruto placed his right hand on the futon and his index finger on his left hand to the scroll, with a tiny application of chakra, the scroll sucked the futon into itself. Noma watched in astonishment as Naruto repeated the procedure with her backpack. "As easy as that" Naruto said as he smiled at her astonished face.

"You have got to teach me how to do that Senpai" Noma said in an awed voice that Naruto found himself chuckling at. He picked up the scroll and replaced it back into his backside pouch before answering her.

"I might just do, I might even teach you some other things that will help you with the Chunin exams" Naruto said as Noma looked at him and Naruto could have sworn that he saw stars in her eyes before she nodded her head vigorously.

"Yes please!" Noma responded happily, it looked like she had never been crying more than two minutes before now. Naruto almost prided himself on feeling like a miracle worker. Then he knelt down onto one leg and turned away from her, looking over his shoulder he finally spoke to her again.

"Hop on, this will make the trip to my home much faster than if we were to walk or jump from rooftop to rooftop" Naruto said as Noma looked at him quizzically.

"What do you mean Senpai, what could possibly be faster than either of those?" Noma asked as she knew of no other methods quicker than either running, even though he had said walking, or jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

"So you don't remember how I got you from that Petrified Forest to here in such a short space of time either?" Naruto asked her with a slight bit of humour in his voice. Noma continued to watch him as he had yet to get up from his kneeling position. "Do you know the technique that made the Fourth Hokage world famous as the Yellow Flash of Konoha?" Naruto asked as Noma nodded her head, everyone knew of the technique that gave the fourth one of the very few 'flee on sight' commands in the history of all Shinobi wars.

"Let's just say that when I was hunting down those that had the Sharingan one of my nicknames was something along the lines of 'The Golden Flashing Demon'" Naruto explained as it seemed to sink in with Noma's expression giving away the fact that she seemed to be understanding him.

"So if you hop on we can get going" Naruto said as Noma finally nodded her head and jumped onto Naruto's back. " Also I would tell you to either close your eyes or prepare for your vision to go blurry, this is extremely fast for those that are not using the technique" Naruto explained as Noma nodded her head against his back.

* * *

><p>With a flash of gold both of them were suddenly gone, the only indication they had ever been there was the fluttering tent that was moving due to the wind kicked up by Naruto leaving in such a flashy manner. Noma and Naruto suddenly appeared right outside the front doors of the Namikaze estate.<p>

"Here we are Noma-Chan" Naruto said as he looked over his shoulder, what he found shocked him to the core. Noma had managed to fall asleep on his back, despite him using the fastest Jutsu that he knew in the world. She was either a very quick sleeper or it was an effect of the Jutsu, then again he had never carried anyone else with him except when he had rushed them all back to Konoha, and that time they were all gone too. Maybe passengers on the Hiraishem No Jutsu just fell asleep if it was used on them.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders as he walked into his house. He walked in, closing the front door behind him softly and locking it. He then made his way through the large living room until he came up to one of the corridors that had three other doors on it, one on either side and one directly in front of him. He moved to the one on his left and opened the door.

The room before him was basic and only really ha a single bed in it. Other than that was a wardrobe and a bedside table, she could add things wherever she decided it would be needed, but going by her state right now Naruto guessed all she needed was her bed. As such he moved the covers from the bed and revealed the simple sheets. He turned around and then tried his hardest to work her arms and legs from around him, which he found to be surprisingly tight, no wonder she fell off when she fell asleep. She just about had him in a hold that was unbreakable.

He softly placed her on the bed and pulled the covers up over her form. He smiled down at her peaceful face before he released the sealed items in his scroll into her room, with that he put the scroll back in his backside pocket and left the room. With a final look at her he left and made his way to the bathroom, where he had a shower before finally going into his own room. Changing into his own bed clothing he quickly fell asleep thinking about his proposition to Noma.

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><p>Unawares to all but Kakashi and Tsunade however there were four vastly powerful Shinobi who were making their way to Konoha in order to meet with the man who had managed to bring about the end of the Fourth Shinobi War almost by himself. Whenever Naruto was going to wake up he was definitely going to be in for a great surprise…<p>

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><p><em>Well you guys here you go, the newest chapter of The Return Of The Hero Of Konoha, and it is also by far the longest I have written at 10,479 words long. I would like to point out that although I said the girls were about 12 years old in the first chapter they are actually maybe about 13 or 14 instead, just like Naruto and his friends. The scene at the end I have had in mind ever since I started this story so don't think I just threw that in for the sake of it, it'll play a greater significance later on. I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter as you have those before it. I apologise to those of you who did not like the whole Sakura scene but it was the way I wanted Naruto to come out of his depression so, it's gonna stay that way. Otherwise I hope you enjoyed and continue to read on after this too, please R&amp;R as always and I'll see you later in my next chapter of this or Hollow Kingdom =] - Varrukh<em>


	10. Chapter 10 The Kages Meet

Ino was beginning to worry. She did not worry often, but when she did it was usually for a good reason. This time seemed like a perfectly good time to worry.

Currently she was standing in her team's usual meeting place. It was one of the bridge's crossing one of the few streams that ran through Konoha. She was leaning with the bottom of her back against the railing. Kyoki was standing on the railing opposite Ino and Hiku was sitting on the ground with her legs crossed and her eyes closed. The thing that had Ino worried however, was the absence of her third student.

Noma was never one to be late, and she most certainly was not one to blatantly miss out on a meeting with her team. Ino was almost sure that Noma would show up, yet after half an hour of waiting she had still not appeared. This was the reason that Ino was worried at that moment. She was running through far too many scenarios in her head of what may have happened to her student, she was getting a bit stressed.

It became too much for her. She had to know where her student was and knew where to start her search. Noma had last been with Naruto and he was probably sure to know where the little girl was and if not, well she would search high and low. She pushed herself from the railing on the bridge and walked over to her two students.

"Come on we're going to have to go looking for Noma" Ino said to them, trying her best to hide her worry about the young girl. It did not work as well as she had hoped as the two girls looked at her with understanding in their eyes. They simply nodded their head before Ino started to walk off and they fell into line behind her.

"Where are we going to look for her Sensei? None of us really know where she lives" Hiku pointed out to which Ino had to admit was true, not one of them within the team _did_ know where the girl lived. She had never told any of them, nor had she given any hints to where she lived. They wanted to know of course, she was their teammate. Yet they saw the way that she would change the subject and deduced she did want them to know for whatever reason she may have, even if they wanted to know they would not intrude upon her life in such a manner.

"The last person that saw her was Naruto-Kun, we'll start there and work from there" Ino answered them both without looking at them. They understood though, Noma was like them, they were all precious to Ino and they all knew it. This meant that if Ino was talking to them without looking at them, then she was focused completely on the safety of her missing student.

They made their way across the rooftops of Konoha towards the estate that was slowly coming into view. Hiku had to stare at that estate in complete bewilderment; it almost rivalled the size of the Hyuga compound. That was not the only reason she stared at it however, she knew this compound and she knew its owner, this was the Namikaze compound, the old residence of the Fourth Hokage.

"Ino-Sensei, why are we going to the Namikaze compound?" Hiku asked to which Kyoki looked at her. Once Kyoki thought about it though it was something she was wondering about too, if they were going to look for Naruto, then why would they go to the Namikaze compound?

"That is because it is where Naruto-Kun lives now" Ino answered to which Kyoki and Hiku almost fell from the roofs. Naruto lived in the Namikaze residence? What reason did he have for living there? Ino could tell what was running through the girl's minds; their silence after being told something like that indicated they were thinking about it.

Nevertheless Ino was still worried about her missing student and- as if just to show it- she increased her speed. Kyoki and Hiku had to try hard in order to catch up with their sensei again. Ino was definitely not in the frame of mind to have patience it seemed.

* * *

><p>With their increase in speed it took almost no time to cover the last bit of distance to the Namikaze residence. They landed just outside of one of the gateways leading into the courtyard of the residence. Ino looked around to see if by any chance Naruto might be strolling around the outside of his home, coming up short she had to deal with the alternative.<p>

She walked over towards the plaque that had written on it 'Namikaze Residence' and placed her hand upon the seal next to the plaque. She applied to chakra to it and stepped away from it. The girls could see the dull glow coming from the seal as Ino moved away from it and tried to look more closely at it.

What they were not expecting was for there to be a sudden flash of golden and orange. After both girls had leapt out of their skins and fallen to the ground they looked up to see Naruto standing there whilst rubbing the back of his head. He was wearing his entire attire that he had worn the day that he had saved their team. He had his white armour and shoulder guards. Under this he wore mostly black which consisted of battle sandals, pants and undershirt. There was however the absence of his cloak but none of them took the time to notice this.

"Sorry girls, I just don't like to keep people waiting at my gate" Naruto said to them earnestly apologetic. Ino smiled at his actions towards the two girls he had just frightened. After a moment Naruto had opened the gate and even come through to help the two girls back onto their feet. With a quick 'thank you' from both girls he then turned to Ino.

"So, what's the problem Ino-Chan?" Naruto asked as he rounded on her quickly, catching her by surprise. After a few moments it was as if her mind finally understood what had happened and she reacted.

"I was just wondering if you could tell me where you last saw Noma-Chan?" Ino asked Naruto to which he raised his right eyebrow slightly. Then he looked to Hiku and Kyoki, then back to Ino and suddenly it dawned on him.

"Oh" Naruto responded to which he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Was she supposed to meet you today?" Naruto asked sheepishly as his eyes closed and he laughed awkwardly. Ino was confused by the manner in which Naruto was acting, it seemed almost as if he knew where she was.

"You know where she is?" Ino asked and was surprised when Naruto's head nodded in response. He moved to the side slightly and moved his arm so that it indicated into his compound.

"Ladies first, I have a feeling that you might be here for a while" Naruto said surprisingly solemnly. Ino was most surprised because she was sure that Naruto was fine. Yet upon looking into his eyes as she passed him and due to the grin he flashed at her, she guessed that he must actually be fine.

Ino, Hiku and Kyoki complied with what Naruto had motioned and moved into the compound area. Both of the young girls were impressed with the size of the place. There was a large main building which they were walking towards; it had at least two floors in it. On either flank there were smaller buildings that were clearly usable for living too, these were only single floored buildings however.

While both girls marvelled at the splendour of the compound Ino walked forward and eventually stopped, waiting for Naruto to come along too. She had been in this building a few times now, both to make sure he was doing alright and to simply talk to him on random occasions. Naruto walked over to them after securing the gate closed again.

Once he reached them he smiled at them all warmly. Not one of them could deny that Naruto's smile made them feel warmer in their stomachs. Despite Ino wanting to smile back at him, she was still worried about her missing student and decided to prod even further.

"Naruto, where is Noma?" Ino asked trying not to sound impatient. With the look she received from him though she guessed that he picked up on her impatience. He smiled at her softly before nodding his head.

"You'll see soon, just follow me and trust me" Naruto said as he moved off from his position towards the front door of the double story building. The two young girls looked to each other uneasily before looking up to their Sensei, she was looking slightly uneasy too but moved after Naruto nonetheless.

As they moved into the house with Naruto holding the front door open they could all see the sheer size of the sitting room. There was definitely enough space in here to comfortably hold at least 20 people easily, even more if really required. Then again it was a compound so it would only make sense.

He closed the door behind him and walked through his sitting room towards a corridor branching off from the room. Diligently the three Kunoichi followed after him. The corridor they walked into was one with three doors, one on each wall. Naruto walked over to the door on the left and opened it. He stepped back and indicated to them that they should enter.

"Be quiet as you go in though" Naruto said to them as they were about to enter. Ino gave him a confused glance but he gave her a look that seemed to tell her 'just trust me'. Ino nodded her head and took the lead into the room. What she was met with she had already sussed out basically but it did not quell her surprise when she saw the sight awaiting her.

* * *

><p>Upon a single bed there was a small form that was breathing softly. It took Ino no time to figure out who it was and instantly she spun on Naruto. He could see the anger brimming in her eyes and could understand it of course but at the same time was slightly fearful. Hiku and Kyoki had walked into the room and were not expecting to see Noma there at all, they were actually expecting her to possibly be in a critical condition by the way Naruto had spoken and acted. Now it all just seemed slightly foolish, they were nonetheless relieved to see her simply sleeping there.<p>

"Girls you wait here with Noma for a few minutes, I need to talk to Naruto for a few moments alone" Ino said in a tone that sounded barely controlled. Naruto already knew he was in trouble; he didn't have to be a genius to read Ino's body language, her figure was completely tensed and her brow was furrowed in evident anger. He knew he was in for it so just resigned himself to his fate.

"Follow me" Naruto said in an almost resigned manner. Ino obliged and followed Naruto out of the room and through the sitting room again. This time Naruto lead her through the back of the large building. Reaching the kitchen of the building Ino found that it too was impressively massive, able to accommodate for a large amount of people.

She was unable to admire it for long as Naruto walked to the door connected to the outside and opened it, once again allowing Ino to walk through before he too walked through the door. Ino now found herself in a very wide open space, a large area that was only really filled by grass. If Ino was to take a guess she'd say it was a training ground.

Naruto walked out into the open area and then turned to her. She could see the look of determination that flashed over his face before he slowly put his arms out from his sides and stared directly at Ino.

"What are you doing Naruto?" Ino asked confused. Naruto simply stood in the same position, just waiting; he knew what she wanted and was prepared.

"You get angry yet you can't do anything because, usually you'd get into trouble correct?" Naruto asked as he stared at Ino softly. "Sometimes you just want to turn around and punch the one that caused you the anger you feel right?" Naruto asked once again as his determined face completely took over at that moment.

"Naruto, what are you talking about?" Ino asked honestly confused. The way Naruto was talking was making absolutely no sense. Of course the answer to both of his questions were 'yes'. She had been in many situations which she wished she could have just turned around and hit someone, yet due to the expectations of both Kunoichi and also her own village, she had to restrain herself.

"I brought Noma here without your knowledge and I can tell that it worried you deeply" Naruto admitted as his arms lowered to his sides again. "Then when you saw her in that room I could tell that you were angry at being left out of the loop" Naruto continued to which Ino agreed, she was indeed not happy about being neglected in this subject. "However, before we start I would prefer that you know, I had every good reason to bring her here last night" Naruto finished as he once again stood in the position with his arms out.

"Well I guess you are right I was a bit angry but I don't understand what it is we are going to start" Ino admitted to which Naruto almost fell to the ground. "If it is what I think it is, then put your arms down because I am not going to attack you" Ino said very curtly, yet Naruto could tell the slightly peeved sound in her voice too. With that he lowered his arms to his side.

"Honestly Naruto-Kun I can't believe that you thought me attacking you would make me feel any better, yes I want to, but there is no point because I will just feel bad later on" Ino said softly as Naruto simply stared at the woman across the ground from him. He smiled at her words; Ino truly was a really nice woman. Her body seemed to lose its tenseness and Ino smiled back at him before she walked over to him.

"What was the reason that you had to bring Noma-Chan here for then?" Ino asked Naruto as she stopped right in front of him and had to grudgingly remember that he was actually taller than her, making her have to arch her neck to look at his face. Naruto let loose a heavy sigh and Ino instantly knew that there was a great deal of information she was going to learn about her little student.

* * *

><p>Kyoki and Hiku were sitting in the room with their third teammate still out for the count. Neither of them had ever particularly sought out to see Noma while she slept but when they saw the peaceful look on her face it was almost like they did not know the girl that slept in her place. Noma always had a look on her face that seemed to just say that she knew more than she was giving away.<p>

While they looked at her face now though, it was not an all-knowing look that she had on her face. It was simply peaceful, like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders and she was finally able to just relax again. Little knowing how close to the truth they were both girls continued to watch over their slumbering teammate.

"Why do you think Noma-chan is here?" Kyoki asked the Hyuga who looked up at the question. Crimson eyes met with pale white ones before Hiku looked back to the form of Noma again. A sad look crossed the face of Hiku and Kyoki just knew that she was coming to the same conclusion, they barely knew anything about their teammate, and this was something their sensei said was a dangerous thing.

"I don't know" Hiku answered honestly. She wouldn't lie. Noma being here was just as much a mystery to her and even to their sensei.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the two girls. Each wished to say something but there was nothing to be said. The tension in the air was becoming insufferable. Both girls tried to look at something, anything to take their mind of the current situation. However hard they tried though, their gaze was always dragged right back to Noma sleeping in the bed within the room.

"She seems so peaceful right now" Kyoki pointed out to which Hiku then looked at Noma once again. She had already seen it and noted it, Kyoki must have only just come to realise it. Hiku nodded her head in agreement. Then just like before there was silence once again. The room was completely silent until footsteps were heard and then the door to the room opened, revealing both Naruto and Ino standing there.

Ino did not look as angry as she had been when they left, yet she did not look at all in the slightest bit happy either. Naruto did not exactly look like he had won anything either, his attitude seemed sombre and slightly reserved. Ino walked into the room and moved over to Noma's bedside. Once she got there she knelt down next to the bed and stared at her student. How could she have been so blind? She was born to read people, yet her own student had so perfectly deceived her.

Kyoki and Hiku stared at their sensei in surprise, it was not very often that she ever went about with such a defeated look on her face, yet she seemed completely crestfallen. Naruto was standing up against the wall far away from all of the action. Hiku took note of this and was slightly surprised as she thought he would be much more comforting than he was currently showing.

With the sound of movement all eyes were focused on Noma as she slowly moved around and her eyes grudgingly fluttered open. She saw the faces of her sensei first and in that instant she shot upwards. They had found her! With the propulsion that she created she was sitting up straight instantly.

Once she had her vision back to 100% she finally realised where she was. She was sitting in a warm bed in a comfortable room with her team surrounding her. She could already feel the heat rising to her face, to be caught unawares like this was never something that Noma liked much.

Noma looked around the faces before her slowly. Ino-Sensei, Hiku, Kyoki, they were all here and they were all looking at her. She did not want to explain herself, it would be putting too much unnecessary worries upon all of their shoulders and she did not want that. She had to realise though that the truth would have come out eventually, she just wished it had been under different circumstances.

"I shall leave you girls to your conversation then" Noma heard a voice speaking and looking past her team she found the owner of that voice. Standing directly across from her bed was her saviour from the night before. Naruto had pushed himself from the wall and was going to make his way out of the room before Noma shouted after him.

"Wait!" Noma called to him. Naruto stopped at the doorway and turned his attention to the small girl on the bed who was staring at him. He also took note of the stares he was receiving from Ino, Kyoki and Hiku. "Please don't leave me Naruto-Senpai, I don't want to have to do this alone" Noma said as her head fell, and right at that second it was like her façade fell. All three members of her team looked to her in shock as Naruto simply nodded his head in acknowledgment.

"OK Noma-Chan I'll help you" Naruto answered her simply as he walked over to the side of her bed and stood to Noma's left side. The second he was there it was almost like there was a transfer of confidence and Noma's head looked up again.

"There's something I have to tell you guys" Noma spoke as she straightened up slightly into a more comfortable sitting position. Ino knew the story but her little squad had absolutely no idea the bombshell of information that was going to be dropped on them. She only hoped that they would take it well, for the sake of their team.

* * *

><p>Tsunade had been Hokage for quite a while now, ever since Naruto and that pervert had come and convinced her to take the job. That was well over 8 years ago now and she had yet to get used to the unbelievable level of paperwork that the job entailed. <em>Oh well, Kakashi I hope you know what you're getting yourself in for<em> Tsunade thought evilly as she imagined him struggling under high levels of paperwork.

She was unable to enjoy the images rushing through her head for too long as there was a sudden swirl of leaves in her room and standing in her office was Kakashi himself. Glad for an excuse to stop her paperwork Tsunade looked up at the Jonin.

"What is it Kakashi?" Tsunade asked, getting straight to the point. Kakashi lazily turned to look at her and eye-smiled before he answered her.

"All of the Kages are here now" Kakashi said almost too happily. Tsunade had to work out what the hell he meant. All of the Kages were here? What the hell was he… oh yeah, she had forgotten about that. Wait…

"You mean they are all here and waiting!" Tsunade roared at Kakashi as he had to strain in order to stand his ground, he was able to do so, yet it was at a great amount of effort that he succeeded. Nevertheless Tsunade was on her feet and moving around the office at a quick pace trying to clear up the place. Kakashi only now realised just how cluttered the Hokage tower was, with empty Sake bottles lying in random places. He smiled and shook his head, thinking about the time he would inherit this office in 2 months' time.

Tsunade had only just finished clearing up when there was a knock at her door. Her head shot up and looked directly at Kakashi who received the unspoken command. He pulled his hand out of his pants' pocket and opened the door as Tsunade moved over to her desk where there were four seats opposite her now, to accommodate the four visitors.

The door opened and revealed to Kakashi an entire group of the strongest Shinobi in the world. The Raikage, Tsuchikage, Kazekage and Mizukage were all standing waiting for the door to open. Kakashi also noted that the Kages also had with them at least two Shinobi, it showed that despite there being more trust between the hidden villages; things would never truly be perfect.

All of the Shinobi were wearing their traditional garbs, dedicated to their separate villages. Kakashi stood to the side in order to allow the different Kages into the Hokage's office, bowing slightly in order to show his respect. They all took notice of this and smiled at it, despite his upcoming promotion they could see he was not getting cocky.

"Hello all, I would like to welcome you all to Konoha" Tsunade said as she stood from her chair and extended her hand out towards whoever would take it first. As it happened it was Mei who took her hand first and shook it softly followed by A, Onoki and Gaara. "Please sit, I have a feeling that if all four of you have come here to my village then there must be something of great importance to talk about?" Tsunade asked the four before her who all nodded their heads. None of them said anything though which lead Tsunade into prodding them. "So what is the problem?" Tsunade asked finally when it seemed no-one would answer her.

"It is not so much a problem" Gaara finally answered to which Tsunade turned her full attention, she was also aware of Kakashi's interest as he stood directly behind her (If he was going to be Hokage he might as well learn somehow). "It is more of a concern to us" Gaara finished. It looked like there was going to be no more information leaked from him so Tsunade looked around the other Kage around her.

"What is it that concerns you? We have made no aggressive movements against anyone, nor have we done anything against the terms of our treaties" Tsunade answered feeling something in the back of her throat beginning to constrict, there was something wrong, she could just feel it.

"You are correct Tsunade, you have made no aggressive movements, nor done anything to aggravate the terms of our treaties but there is one thing that we are all concerned about" Onoki said this time as Tsunade's gaze alongside Kakashi's was turned on the diminutive Tsuchikage. "We are concerned about Konoha's Jinchuriki" Onoki finally said for all present. A nodded his head while Mei done the same, even if she nodded her head a little more sadly than A had done.

Tsunade was taken completely by surprise. Naruto was the reason they were here, that much she knew from their individual letters, yet they were vague on the reason they wanted to see him. The fact that they were concerned about Naruto though had her stumped, what was there to be concerned about really? He had made a full recovery and was back to fighting condition.

"Why are you worried about Naruto?" Tsunade asked while trying to sound professional, while she may have the other Kage fooled that the information had not affected her, Kakashi knew for a fact she was holding back.

"We are worried about how stable the boy is" A said with his first few words since coming into the room. Tsunade rounded on the large man and he saw something vicious crossing over those hazel eyes of hers. He half expected her to explode as she would have in the past if anything like this had been said. He was pleasantly surprised when he saw her about to sit forward that Kakashi placed his hand on Tsunade's shoulder and stopped her.

"If you wouldn't mind Raikage-Sama could you please elaborate" Kakashi asked as kindly as he could. He was slightly annoyed by what the Raikage had said too but he would bite his tongue and listen to the Raikage's explanation.

"I mean no disrespect to the boy, just like most of us in here we respect him because of his ability to stop the Fourth Shinobi War" A said being sincere as he done so, he was not lying, they all felt the same. "However, our concerns were raised simply by what happened after the war, I am pretty sure that both of you remember that clearly yes?" A asked as Tsunade and Kakashi both nodded their heads.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Flashback<strong>_

Tsunade and A had met for a private meeting between Konohagakure and Kirigakure, in short this would be to sign the terms of their agreement in their alliance. The war had been finished with the death of Madara and all of the Kage agreed that in order to try and keep peace then they would have to sign agreements in order to keep things sweet.

"Well if that is all the terms of our agreement Raikage-san then I do believe all that is left is to sign it at the bottom and make it official" Tsunade said to which A nodded his head simply. Truth is told he was looking forward to a future where he would not have to worry about future engagements. The Fourth Shinobi War had been too much of a close call for the world, they had lost many good men and women, there did not need to be more loss in the world.

With A and Tsunade's signatures the treaty between Kiri and Konoha was now official and they were from that point on, allies. Tsunade and A stood up and shook each other's hands.

"I hope that this shall be a productive relationship Tsunade" A said in his deep voice to which Tsunade smiled at him.

"As do I A, as do I" Tsunade answered before they dropped each other's hands. A nodded his head and began to walk towards the entrance of the tent until he heard raised voices outside. he turned to Tsunade who had stood up at the sound of the same raised voices and made her way over. A took the lad and walked through the entrance first, holding it open for Tsunade. What they were faced with, neither had expected.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN HIS GRAVE HAS BEEN ROBBED!" a voice roared that Tsunade instantly recognised, yet had never heard sounding anything like that, it was pure fury. It was absolutely nothing like he usually was. Naruto was currently being held back by Kakashi and Killer Bee who were each holding onto one of his arms as if their lives depended on it. Yamato was right in front of him trying to talk to Naruto, but it looked like it was not working at all. There was also a man whom Tsunade did not know sitting on the ground cowering in fear.

"Naruto! Calm down we don't know if it is true or not yet!" Yamato yelled at the boy as he tried to get through to him. Naruto continued to struggle against him though. Kakashi and Killer Bee honestly looked like they were struggling to hold him back, it was extremely surprising that the situation had yet to draw a crowd but they knew it would only be a matter of time.

"I…I…I mean when I was passing by the grave I saw someone running away from it… when I went over to check it…I…I found Sasuke out of the grave and his eyes were gone" the cowering man answered. At that instant Naruto's struggling stopped, Kakashi and Killer Bee thought it might be a reprieve, yet did not release Naruto just in case.

It was a good thing. Tsunade covered her mouth as the man spoke those words. Not in shock of what had happened, even though it was highly shocking. What she was shocked at was Naruto, his body had become completely tense and he started to shake violently. Then as if on the flip of a coin the most malevolent red chakra exploded out from Naruto. Kakashi and Killer Bee were sent flying from his form as Naruto fell to his hands and knees.

He started to growl very deeply and gripped his hands into the ground. The thing that scared all five present though was what else was happening to Naruto. His entire form was changing, the red chakra was covering over his whole body and already there was three tails coming out from his lower back. Yamato moved to intercept Naruto before he completely lost himself but was completely unable to do so as another five chakra tails all exploded from his back at the one time and Naruto roared to the sky.

The roar sent out a chakra blast that shook all present. Naruto began to grow in size and they could all see what was happening, Naruto had given up control to the Kyubi, they could not allow him to do that to himself. Naruto was now at the size of the Kyubi had originally been with eight tails protruding behind him. All five got prepared to fight, if the final tail appeared then they would be fighting the full power of the Nine tailed Fox.

Tsunade wasted no time as she jumped up into the air and delivered a chakra applied punch to the jaw of the giant fox. The fox pivoted to the side it had been punched into but was stopped when there was something applied to the other side of its jaw. "Lariat!" A shouted as a lightning applied punch was directed to the opposite side of its jaw.

The fox was disorientated when right in front of it there appeared Kakashi. He had already breathed in deeply and went through the hand signs. "Katon: Gyokaku No Jutsu!" Kakashi called as he exhaled and a great fireball was sent right into the nose of the giant fox. The fox shook its head slightly but did not seem to faze it at all, until it brought its paw up and swatted Kakashi to the ground again.

"Kakashi!" Tsunade yelled as she seen where he had landed, she did not have to worry as he stood up just as quickly as he had been sent to the ground. Yamato knew what he had to do but was unsure if it was even possible, he put his hand to the ground and applied chakra and watched as wooden pillars with totems on the top rose out of the ground around the fox.

With the pillars in place Yamato got to work trying to supress the beast but was finding it exceedingly hard, he had only ever had to supress up to the four-tailed form, this was at least twice as strong. Tsunade looked to the form of Yamato and could see him struggling to hold on and could see the giant fox thrashing around violently and Yamato grimacing each time it done so.

"Everyone, we must wear Naruto out if we are to have any hope of supressing him!" Tsunade called out. A, Killer Bee and Kakashi looked to Tsunade before they looked at Yamato, they could see him struggling greatly and nodded their heads in unison, three bodies suddenly lit up with the powers of lighting and charged towards the giant fox. All three of them leapt into the air and sent either a punch or a kick onto the back of the large beast, managing to make the creature buckle slightly under the power of their hits.

As quickly as they had done that though the creature straightened out again and let loose another great roar and to their shock they could see a small build-up of chakra next to the other tails, the final tail was forming! A and Killer Bee move as quickly as they could and got into position on either side of the beast, Kakashi jumped high into the air and then began to fall downwards.

As Kakashi fell towards the back once again he applied chakra to his hand and there was soon the sound of chirping birds. He dove downwards with his hand prepared to strike. At the same time as this Killer Bee and A had leapt into the air with their bodies covered in lightning and their right arms out open at their sides.

"Chidori!" Kakashi yelled out.

"Double Lariat!" A and Killer Bee called out in unison as all three of them applied their best jutsu to the same place once again, causing the fox's back to once again buckle. It looked like it was about to straighten out once again, but just before it could do so Tsunade appeared above it and applied and kick to the back of the beast's head, sending it to the ground with a crash. As soon as it had touched the ground many other wooden pillars came out of the ground and began to weave themselves around the form of the fox.

Yamato was breathing heavily because holding the fox down was hard enough but those extra restraints he had put down were pushing him to his limit. He was glad however when he saw that the size of the fox was diminishing until it was about human sized again. A, Killer Bee and Kakashi deactivated their Lightning cloaks and started to breathe deeply, they were tired. It was understandable though, they had just taken on the eight-tailed form of the Nine-tailed beast.

When finally Naruto had resumed his normal form all those present were able to see Naruto with all of his skin burned off and breathing heavily. It was no time at all though when his healing started and the burned skin was healed over.

"I thought the Kyubi was under control!" A yelled at Tsunade who flinched slightly at the raised voice of the man, she had thought he had it under control too but this changed things.

"No Raikage-Sama, he did have it under control, I think that in his anger he unconsciously gave that control up" Yamato wheezed from where he was sitting with Killer Bee helping him onto his feet. "Thanks" Yamato said as Killer Bee simply smiled at him "Don't mention it" he answered quietly.

"Then what do we do about this?" A asked calming down surprisingly fast, he was however rubbing his large hand over his face. Tsunade looked down at Naruto and then back to A.

"We do not let what has happened here get out, we shall also restore the grave, as for the man that said this we must make sure he does not speak anymore on this" Tsunade said as she looked over to the cowering man.

"What are you talking about? The Kyubi almost got out! We must confine him somewhere!" A said to which he suddenly found four very angry looking faces looking at him, Killer Bee's angry face surprised him. His brother never looked at him like that.

"Bro, that won't help anything, if he is confined he will come to hate everyone, we should let the Konoha Shinobi deal with him, they are the closest to him" Killer Bee said as he nodded to Tsunade, Yamato and Kakashi.

"What about you Bee?" Tsunade asked as Killer Bee looked at her. "You are just like him; wouldn't you be the best to talk to him?" Tsunade continued to which Bee simply shook his head.

"Sorry, I may be just like him but at the same time I can't help him, he needs those close to him" Bee said as he walked away. A stared at his brother, Bee had not said one rhyming sentence the whole time he had spoken, and if that occurred, it meant something truly troubling for his younger brother.

A sighed heavily before he said anything. "Very well I will let you deal with this situation on your own, I just hope you know what you are doing Tsunade-hime" A remarked as he followed after his brother towards their part of the campground. Tsunade looked down at the form of Naruto and then to her two Jonin and hoped to herself that she too knew what she was doing.

_**Flashback ends**_

* * *

><p>"So that is why we are concerned, we are worried that Naruto may be instable and might release the Kyubi" Gaara spoke as all eyes looked to him and he looked directly at Tsunade. "I know of this personally as I was an unstable Jinchuriki when I first came to this village" Gaara added to which Kakashi and Tsunade had to give him credit, at least he was honest.<p>

"Is Naruto alright Hokage-Sama, we don't want to have these concerns, we wish to congratulate and thank him for what he did" Mei said which had Tsunade smiling, so they were all just worried about Naruto's well-being. As much as it surprised her when she looked around the other kage she found them all nodding their heads. Naruto had definitely made some powerful allies.

"Even you Rakaige-dono?" Tsunade asked surprised, she would have half expected him to resent Naruto for almost becoming the Nine-tails three years previously. However he smiled and nodded his head.

"I hold no grudge with the boy after what happened, I just wish to make sure that he is alright and won't become a threat to the peace we have been able to create" A answered and Tsunade and she had to smile widely at that, Naruto had an ally in one of the scariest Kage she had ever met, and she had met scary before.

"Very well I shall have someone retrieve Naruto and bring him here" Tsunade said as all other Kage nodded their heads. She turned around to tell Kakashi to go and get Naruto yet found that there was no need as suddenly a golden blur could be seen racing towards the Hokage Tower. "in fact, if you wait a few seconds he'll be right here" Tsunade finished as once the words were out of her mouth Naruto was suddenly in her office in the middle of the room.

"Hey, Baa-Cha-" Naruto began until he saw the four familiar faces in the room that signified something important was going on and there was something deeply important he was interrupting. "Sorry, didn't know I was interrupting" Naruto apologised as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Actually Naruto you are just on time, these people would like to talk to you" Tsunade said as Naruto looked to all present with a confused expression. Nevertheless he simply shrugged his shoulders and looked at all of the Kage assembled before him.

"Okay, what is it you want to talk to me about then?" Naruto asked nonchalantly as he smiled at all before him. Kakashi inwardly felt proud of his student, to act so casually around so many high calibre Shinobi took some guts, it was clear from what he had seen though that Naruto had plenty of guts. He would be able to handle this without a problem…he hoped.

* * *

><p><em>Well there you guys go, sorry about its lateness but other things have been happening. Anyway I hope you guys enjoy and due to the level of anger I seem to have generated I'll ask you, my lovely readers, whether you think I should have a Harem or if I should bring back the Uzumaki Clan in a different way (I already have an idea how to do it anyway). If you could give me an answer to that it'd be greatly appreciated. Anyway as always R&amp;R please and I shall update ASAP =] - Varrukh<em>


	11. Chapter 11 Meeting Adjourned

Naruto looked around the Hokage tower. There were some seriously powerful people all meeting in one room. It almost seemed too unreal to honestly believe it were true. Sitting in seats before him were the other four Shinobi who were the strongest of their entire village, so strong to earn the title and position of Kage in their village. Nevertheless Naruto done what he usually did in situations that he did not entirely understand and smiled widely at them all.

"So, how can I help you guys?" Naruto asked all before him. Kakashi inwardly congratulated his student. He was acting so calm and casual about the whole thing. That was what he liked to see. It was Mei that was first to speak up from them all.

"My, you certainly have grown up Naruto-Kun…" Mei began as the other Kage had to admit that indeed the person before them was no longer a boy but a man. "… in all the right places too" Mei commented as her eyes trailed downwards and a mischievous smile crept onto her face. Meanwhile, everyone but Naruto had face-faulted from the bluntness of that statement, even Kakashi, despite how proud he was of his student, fell to the ground in surprise.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment and laughed softly as his eyes closed and he tried to think of something, anything that he could say back to her.

"I guess I have" Naruto responded. Then he decided that a compliment deserved a compliment back and as such spoke without really thinking. "Tell me, has someone put a ring on it yet or are all the men of Kiri idiots?" Naruto asked as he laughed lightly at his own joke, completely unaware of the implications that his words would hold.

Ao was standing directly behind the Mizukage and had almost shit himself when he had heard what Naruto had said. He got death threats whenever he had spoken about something even slightly relating to the subject, yet the boy had so boldly spoken about it. The way Ao saw it now, it didn't matter if the guy had stopped a war, and he had just signed his death sentence now. He closed his eye and expected to hear as body parts were thrown all over the place. What he heard instead was something he had not heard in a long time. There was a light giggle and once he had spun around he saw that indeed the Mizukage was laughing.

"No I have not Naruto-Kun, I am still looking for the right man for me" Mei said as she continued to laugh lightly and Naruto smiled widely. He had one Kage in a good mood; this definitely made things seem brighter for him. As he looked around the other three Kage he could see that they all had varying levels of smiles on their faces. From Onoki's grin down to Gaara's slight smile on his face, it seemed he was off to a good start.

"Just as Naruto initially asked, would you like to speak to him now?" Tsunade asked as she finally recovered from the shock of what Naruto had said she honestly expected the strongest Shinobi in her village to be history in that instant. She was not prepared to lose her Gaki just yet, she had to die before him, and they were the rules.

"Ah yes, sorry lad, I think that took us all by surprise" Onoki spoke as he looked at Mei who simply flashed him a beautiful smile in return. Onoki rolled his eyes before continuing on. "The reason that we are all here is to do with your well-being" Onoki explained as he got straight to the point, just the way he preferred doing things.

Naruto cocked his head to the side at those words from the Tsuchikage, his well-being? Why were they worried about that? He was fine as far as he could tell, the worst of things had been taken off his shoulders and he felt as fit as he had ever been in the past. So what was there to worry about?

"I feel fine Tsuchikage-Sama; I don't quite understand why you are all here if you are worried about my well-being?" Naruto answered and asked at the same time, as he looked to everyone in the room in slight confusion. A was the one to lift the veil on his confusion as he spoke next.

"We are here because of what happened after the war finished; I think you remember that surely?" A asked and at that moment Naruto bowed his head and nodded it slowly. Of course he remembered that, how could he forget? It was probably the worst state he had ever been in his life. "We are simply here to make sure that you are actually alright now after all these years. I won't deny that with so little information about you after the war we were, anxious as to what you were doing" A admitted as Naruto looked up again at the broad dark skinned man.

"Well I can say that I am fine all I want but you should really ask Baa-Chan, she's the medical expert" Naruto said as he turned to Tsunade. She nodded at his silent request and drew all of their attention towards her with a light cough.

"I will agree with Naruto on this, when he returned to the village he was very mentally unstable as he will agree" Tsunade said as all other Kage looked at Naruto and saw him nodding his head. "After about a week or so he had drastically improved and as such is now as I would like to say, prepared for active service again" Tsunade finished as Naruto turned to her with a beaming smile.

"You mean it!" Naruto asked joyfully to which Tsunade was only able to smile and nod here head. This in turn sent Naruto into doing a happy dance that managed to tug at the humour in all of the other Kage.

"Relating to the question about what I was doing" Naruto spoke again after he had finished his dance and looked at the Raikage again. "I was exterminating a threat to the peace and balance that had finally been brought to the world" Naruto explained with a deadly serious face. Even A who prided himself upon never backing away from an opponent was finding this change in demeanour slightly intimidating.

"What would that be Naruto-Kun?" Mei asked softly, when Naruto looked at her she smiled at him in an attempt to try and get rid of his serious face. It was both disturbing and not befitting of a man of his accomplishments. He was well known for his childish ways and it was the way many liked him, including her, even if she had only met him a few times in the past. Naruto relented on his seriousness yet the smile that came to his face was not quite his usual cheerful one.

"Eradicating the Sharingan" Naruto replied which had all present sitting with their eyes popping out of their head. It could not be that one of Konoha's own destroying one of the Dojutsu that made them one of the greatest villages in the world? Not only that but it was also a bloodline limit from a clan that had helped to create the village itself, it seemed almost too absurd to believe.

"Why would you do such a thing? Is it not detrimental to the whole of Konoha to no longer have the Sharingan?" Onoki asked as Naruto then turned to look at the small man who was looking at him intently. Onoki may not have any ill will towards Konoha any longer despite the rivalry between them over the two previous wars to the fourth, yet with the Sharingan gone they were at a distinct disadvantage.

"No, those that had it were not from Konoha and had basically stolen them, they were missing-nin" Naruto explained as the Kage's faces lit up in surprise, there were not many missing-nins since the war yet those that were declared missing-nin were definitely a force to be reckoned with. "If I remember correctly Teraku Jiruga was one of those I had to hunt down" Naruto said and A almost fell out of his seat.

"Are you kidding me!" A yelled, Naruto recoiled slightly at the sudden volume of the Raikage's voice. A noticed this and felt bad that he had scared the guy but he was still shocked, there was no way Naruto had managed to take on 'The Scourge of Kumogakure' by himself was there? A lifted himself off of the ground and dusted himself off and stood to his full height, only just standing a slight bit taller than Naruto. "Sorry, are you really trying to tell me that you took on Teraku?" A asked being as serious as he possibly could, he could afford no mistakes here.

"Yes, I looked at the bingo book and it was his face, if you still don't believe me…" Naruto replied as he rustled around in his back pouch and pulled out a scroll. Throwing it onto the desk in between all of the Kage Naruto pointed to it. "In there you will find the heads of all those that stole Sharingan, except Haruza Kuroha, I kind of lost the head with him" Naruto spoke as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Everyone in the room looked at the scroll suspiciously. "I will unseal them if you really want?" Naruto asked after sighing heavily.

"That is alright Naruto I am sure that everyone here agrees about your integrity, I guess it just means we all owe you money for their bounties" Tsunade said as A, Onoki, Garra and Mei noticed that this was indeed true, they were stopped, the term was dead or alive and… well… they were dead now.

"It is alright trust me, I only done what I needed to in order to see peace come to this world, I don't care much for money" Naruto responded as he waved his hands in the air at what they were talking about. it wasn't exactly a lie, due to him inheriting his father's compound he also gained the money that was in his father's name. in all honesty he'd be taking money they could probably better use on themselves.

"And we all came here worrying about your well-being" A chuckled to himself as he looked at Naruto. "He's exactly like he was before the war started, too damn nice for his own good, then again I guess he has went to extreme lengths to make it all happen" A continued as he walked over to Naruto and thrust his hand out. "If you're ever near Kumo and need any help just give me a shout" A spoke to Naruto as he took his hand and shook it vigorously. "There is also no doubt in my mind that I had probably better say that Bee was saying hi to you" A finished as they finished their hand shake.

"It's been too long since I saw Bee, how is he doing?" Naruto asked as he rubbed the back of his head once again. A move which was slowly becoming one of the Mizukage's favourites that the man done.

"The same as usual, being a complete idiot and trying to rap, failing entirely in the latter" A responded flatly and Naruto laughed sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head continuously.

* * *

><p>Mei was seriously considering hugging the man, when he done that he just looked so adorable, yet she was able to restrain herself. Ao however noticed the way she was acting and leaned down to her height and spoke to her in a whisper.<p>

"Are you alright Mizukage-Sama, you seem to be straining yourself, is there a problem?" Ao asked lowly so that no-one else within the room would realise that there was a possible problem with the Mizukage. Mei simply looked at him and he could clearly see a gleam in her eyes that he had not seen in the past.

"I am fine Ao, I do believe I have found my husband however" Mei spoke softly while whispering back. Ao almost fell to the ground by what she had just said; surely she could not be serious. However, he did know her very well and had a feeling that what she had just said she intended to go through with.

"You can't just go and decide something like that for yourself though" Ao commented as he began to turn away, yet he felt a familiar feeling rising from behind him and instantly identified it as killer intent. He turned around to seeing a sight of Mei he had seen too often, her staring at him as if he had just kicked a puppy in the face.

"If you ever say anything like that again, I'll kill you" Mei said in a sickly sweet voice which sent Ao almost to the floor once again in fear. He hated it when he got threatened from the Mizukage; she was scary even at the best of times. To piss her off was like just asking to have you killed.

* * *

><p>"That's good to hear, at least uncle Bee is alright then" Naruto replied fondly which had both Tsunade and A smiling at him. For Naruto to have gotten so close to Bee was rather surprising, since they had believed that to Jinchuriki may have fought against each other, yet were pleasantly surprised. A nodded his head at what Naruto had said before he walked towards the door, followed by his two Shinobi guards.<p>

"Well I have seen all that I came here to see , so I think it about time I return to Kumo, after all I have to prepare for the Chunin exams" A said as he nodded to all other Kage in the room and made his way out, rather casually they all had to note. With his other exits usually including him exiting through a wall, he was after all easily capable of doing it again for the sake of it.

Naruto waited until the Raikage was completely out of the room before he turned back to the others that were in the room. He was met with the other Kage staring intently at him, something he still felt unnerving despite the strongest Kage of them all being out of the room now. Although he was not sure about the Mizukage, there was something in her gaze that he half did not believe and as such decided not to think on it.

"I suspect that there is no more you wish to know, as you can see, Naruto actually came her himself which means he had another reason for coming here" Tsunade said as Mei, Onoki and Garra nodded their heads, they knew when they were being asked politely to leave. "I can however understand that you may wish to rest so you are free to take up a place at any of our hotels in the village" Tsunade offered to which Mei at least smiled at Tsunade.

"Thank you Hokage-Sama but I really must be going, there is much paperwork that needs doing" Mei replied as she began walking towards the door. "I would also not wish to burden one of your hotels with a Kage, I have no doubt it may make things, hard" Mei added to which Tsunade had to agree, the owners of the hotel might believe they would have to perform to a level above their normal.

"You could all stay at my house if you want?" Naruto suddenly asked. They all rounded on him in an instant. Naruto looked between them to try and understand why he got such a reaction. Wasn't offering a place to stay meant to be a nice thing?

"I think I shall take you up on that offer Naruto" Gaara suddenly said which surprised everyone in the room save Naruto. Even his brother and sister were surprised by how quickly he had answered the question. Not to mention how strange Temari felt it would be to be in the same house as the blonde bombshell before her. Kankuro could see the conflicted look that was coming over his sister's face and grinned to him, oh how he was going to torment her with this.

"I do believe I shall too in fact, I am sure paperwork can last one day without me" Mei said as she smiled at Naruto. "That is alright isn't it?" Mei asked sweetly and half expected Naruto to blush, yet was partly disappointed when he didn't, yet she was not unhappy with his answer.

"Of course Mizukage-Sama, there are plenty of rooms in my house, you will just have to share it with Noma-Chan… which reminds me" Naruto said before he turned to Tsunade and found her looking at him suspiciously, she could see that this was probably why he was here in the first place, yet she was still trying to put together just why he was here. Although this was Naruto she was thinking about and there was no-one alive that could claim to understand what he thought much of the time.

"Baa-Chan, I want to file adoption papers for Noma Vydia to become a part of the Uzumaki-Namikaze clan" Naruto said and not unlike many other times before, Tsunade was completely taken aback by what Naruto was asking, did he even have any idea what it was he was asking? This was about a young child no less, though she did not doubt he had good intentions at heart, she would have to make sure he was prepared for the whole thing.

"Are you sure about this, I mean do you know anything about looking after a child or how to bring them up?" Tsunade asked Naruto as he looked back at her with a serious expression once again. This made Mei slightly sad that this face was back again. "Do you know what you must say to her? Do you know how to look after her?" Tsunade asked. She did not want to seem picky, but she did want to make sure that Naruto knew what he was getting himself in for.

"Tsunade-Sama, I came here to ask that you allow her into my clan, if you do not believe I am fit to look after her then very well, but trust me when I say I shall do it, with or without your permission, I will not allow her to sleep on the streets any longer" Naruto responded. Tsunade knew instantly that Naruto was full aware of his actions when he addressed her so formally. Even Onoki, Gaara and Mei were watching in mild worry in the manner that Naruto spoke; he did not appear to like his intentions being questioned.

"What do you mean sleep on the streets? You can't possibly mean that she has not even had a home? Surely I would have known if she was homeless, people notice this kind of thing" Tsunade spoke frantically. She could not believe that such a thing had been brought up in front of other Kage from other villages, the embarrassment would kill her.

"It is not your fault, Noma-Chan is actually a very good at deception, I mean think about it. She fooled her sensei who is a Yamanaka, something that is usually hard, so don't beat yourself up about it" Naruto said trying to make Tsunade look better in front of the other Kage, only now realising what he could very well have caused for her. "I know what it is like to grow up alone and don't want her to have to go through that, so I'm taking her in whether you allow it or not" Naruto finalised to which Tsunade looked up at Naruto's serious face.

"I guess things like that can slip under our radar Tsunade-Chan, don't worry about it, we can't make conditions in our villages perfect either" Onoki said surprisingly enough making Tsunade feel much better if one of the oldest and most stubborn Shinobi in the world was trying to cheer her up. "Anyway, although I would love to take you up on your offer my boy, I must decline and get home to my village, things to do, people to see, you know the usual" Onoki said as he rose from his seat and made his way to the door.

"Grandpa! Can't we stay? Please!" Kurotsuchi whined as she followed after her grandfather. Onoki rolled his eyes at the way his granddaughter was acting. He knew exactly why she wanted to stay and he was not staying in Naruto's house for that one specific reason, he liked the man of course but like he had said there were things that needed to be done and to leave them too long would only turn out to be detrimental.

After the Tsuchikage and his retinue had left it was only The Hokage, Kakashi, The Mizukage, Chojuro, Ao, The Kazekage, Kankuro, Temari and Naruto. They all looked amongst each other before Naruto had decided that it was time to start heading off.

"Well, I am going to go home and help train Noma-Chan, I promised Ino-Chan I'd help them today, you are all welcome to come now or later, whatever you prefer. If you want to explore the village then just ask where the Namikaze compound is when you want to find me" Naruto said as he grinned to them before disappearing in a flash of golden and red light. Mei turned to Tsunade with evident awe in her eyes.

* * *

><p>"That was the Hiraishin No Jutsu wasn't it?" Mei asked the Hokage as she simply nodded her head. Mei looked out of the window that she believed Naruto had just leapt from. That man had become one scary powerful Shinobi, she had not doubt that he could probably very easily match her in a fight and that would be with her going all out.<p>

"Well if where we are staying tonight is any indication then it makes perfect sense that Naruto would learn such an ability, I guess you could say it 'runs in the blood'" Gaara said cryptically as he walked towards the doorway of the Hokage's office. "I wish to explore this village Hokage-Sama, I have not seen it since it had to be rebuilt, is this alright?" Gaara asked politely. Tsunade nodded her head with a smile.

"Of course, the same applies for you Mizukage-Sama, explore to your heart's content and when you are ready to go to Naruto's home ask any villager, every one of them knows where the Namikaze compound is" Tsunade answered as she settled back into her seat and allowed the other two Kage to nod their heads before bowing and walking out of the door. Once they were both away Kakashi finally made a movement from his still position behind her.

"Hokage-Sama was it wise to allow two such high ranking officials of other villages to walk around our village, things may not be quite so happy beneath the surface in the village" Kakashi asked as Tsunade gave him a thoughtful glance before turning to the paperwork on her desk and took out a pen.

"No, I think it shall be fine. The villagers already know what will happen if they disrupt the peace that has been created, they will be brought before me and charged, but worse than that is that they will make the work of their hero completely in vain" Tsunade answered as she began marking down on the paperwork before her. "After all, they love him now" Tsunade finished concentrating more on the paperwork.

"I know" was Kakashi's short and curt reply. Tsunade looked up and could see the unhappy look on Kakashi's face.

"You almost sound unhappy that Naruto is respected by the entire village?" Tsunade asked as she looked at him with suspicious eyes.

"It is not that I am unhappy, I just feel that it is highly unfair. He was hated and alone while he held the scorn of the entire village, taking their hatred in and accepting it. Then when he does something that saves the entire village they suddenly love him, I think that it is highly hypocritical and petty of the villagers" Kakashi answered back and Tsunade could almost taste the venom in his words, he had clearly thought about this for a while.

"I can understand why you are angry at this, but the past cannot be undone. Can we at least be happy that the village accepts him now?" Tsunade asked almost pleadingly. She was basically pleading; she did not need a future Hokage disgusted with the people he had sworn to put his life on the line to protect.

"I guess I can do that, yet I only do it for Naruto, that boy has seen and done things no-one of his age should ever be forced to endure" Kakashi answered and Tsunade nodded her head in agreement. It was true to all extents, yet like she said what was done cannot be undone. "I take my leave Hokage-Sama, if you need me then I shall be at the Namikaze compound, I shall see if Naruto would like my help also with young Ino-Chan and her squad" Kakashi finished as he completed a Shunshin no Jutsu and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"That's right Naruto, it is nice to know that this village finally accepts you, just like you always wanted" Tsunade spoke wistfully as she looked out the window of the Hokage tower, the sun was already in the middle of the sky, meaning it was midday and by the looks of things it was going to be a beautiful day. _At least Naruto's day has not been dampened by the Kage meeting, I thought it might go worse than it did, I guess it goes to show the level of Naruto's Maturity now_ Tsunade thought to herself with a smile on her face.

* * *

><p>Ino was still absolutely stupefied with what had happened. She, Naruto and Noma had explained to her team the conditions that Noma had been living in and the girls had taken it very well, Ino was most grateful for that fact. What had her stupefied was, once again the blonde haired man that she had recently come to realise as a friend. Yes, Naruto had managed to surprise her yet again.<p>

Not only had he saved one of her students from a harsh life upon the streets and offered her a home with absolutely no strings attached. He had also just gone away to the Hokage tower to request that he adopt her into his clan. Ino could just not wrap her mind around that, Naruto was completely re-writing the rules on how a clan would function.

She would not deny how much respect he had gained from her with such a simple move. It was something no other clan head would ever even dare to try. Yet Naruto was never one to stay within the parameters of what was expected of him, if he wanted to do something then he usually would.

Ino was currently sitting in the large living room of Naruto's home with the rest of her team, they were all patiently awaiting Naruto's return with news of what was going to happen to Noma, whether she would be accepted into his clan as his adoptive daughter or not. Noma was sitting on a couch opposite Ino with Kyoki and Hiku on either side of her gushing at the prospect of the 'Hero of Konoha' becoming Noma's father. All past worries about Noma's past on the streets was forgotten and Ino honestly felt that it might just be a good thing for the sake of Noma.

"Do you think that you will be allowed to become Naruto-Senpai's daughter Noma?" Kyoki asked innocently as she looked intently at Noma who turned to her with a large smile on her face the likes of which they had only ever seen on that day. Ino felt a smile tugging at her own face; it was definitely nice to see Noma smiling. She never looked sad but she always looked far more content than the other two girls. As if she was not trying to give much about herself away. It was only in times like these when Ino looked back over their interactions and realised times where her condition should have been blindingly obvious.

"I hope so!" Noma answered enthusiastically. Once again Ino found herself smiling at the antics of her student; she had simply never seen Noma this happy in the past.

* * *

><p>With Noma and what Naruto was doing for her Ino found herself thinking about the blond man much more than she had anticipated.<p>

It was something she had not dedicated much thought towards but now that she thought of Naruto and his exploits the more she felt her feelings and views of him changing. Her first instance of this had to be during the Chunin exams where he had taken on Neji and won, despite the odds being against him the entire time. He showed her that he could pull through despite the odds. The next time was three years later after he had come back and apparently grown up a little.

When she, Shikamaru and Choji alongside Hatake Kakashi had gone to take revenge on the Akatsuki duo that had killed their sensei, they fully believed in their own abilities and thought they could win. Although Shikamaru was able to get rid of the immortal, she, Choji and Kakashi were still stuck with the unbeatable enemy that was Kakazu. Nothing they done seemed to be enough and even Kakashi had found it hard to beat him. Then Naruto appeared. He showed up without any care as to why they were there; he simply came to help them. He then proceeded to use his newest technique which done almost as much damage to himself as it did to his enemy, although his enemy had died technically.

Probably the biggest one though was when Konoha was in dire straits. The invasion of Pain. A small group of enemies had managed to get into Konoha and utterly destroy it within the space of half a day. Then once again, just as need for a hero was at its greatest, fate delivered. Naruto appeared prepared to battle and save his village from the enemy that had utterly destroyed it. He had even managed to somehow bring all of those who had died back to life, she now knew it was because of Nagato that they were alive but it was still amazing.

Then there was the whole ending of the War. Naruto had managed to stop Sasuke, even though he later died, defeat Madara and stop much of the Zetsu army. With this he was widely known as the Hero of the World, yet he never bragged about it nor did he want to be recognised because of it, all he wanted was peace and it seemed like he would get it now.

Finally was when he had saved her and her team. It was one of the greatest moments in her life when she found out that she was with one of her closest friends from their earliest days and knew that the fate she had resigned herself to did not have to happen.

Now he was going out of his way to make one of her student's lives better than it currently was. Naruto through no intention of his own was showing her more and more reasons for her to fall for him. She had a feeling that she may have already done so a long time ago, when she had said she could almost fall for him after he defeated pain she wasn't joking. Thinking about it now though, she could see that Naruto had all of the traits that any girl would die to have.

He was kind, caring, compassionate, handsome, fun. Those were all traits that made him and they were all things that Ino would not deny she loved about him. he was also selfless, just like Tsunade had said before, he never looked anyone out, he would simply deal with things himself, yet he would be one of the first on the scene if one he cared about was to be in any real need of compassion or care.

It was at that one moment and time. While she sat in Naruto's sitting room as her team spoke animatedly about the possibilities of Naruto becoming Noma's adoptive father. That she finally realised something for herself. Naruto was perfect. He was an absolutely excellent specimen of a man, one any woman would die to have and one she just realised she now wanted too. Ino wanted Naruto. She wanted to feel his love; she wanted to soak him in her love. She wanted to hold him, to wash away his worries if they ever came along. She wanted him and now she realised that she had better move quick. It would not be long before everyone else made their moves on her love.

* * *

><p>"I'm home!" Naruto called out as he entered his home. He barely made it to the sitting room when he was blasted in his stomach with the form of a small girl who had her arms wrapped tightly around his waist. Naruto smiled down at the top of the purple head that was just below his own face. He rubbed the back of the small girl's head as he looked down at her.<p>

"Did it work, can I become and Uzumaki?" Noma asked quickly. Naruto smiled down at her again and hugged her into himself.

"Even if it might not be legal you will be an Uzumaki, you are now my daughter" Naruto affirmed for her and Noma hugged into Naruto even more thoroughly now. It was all she had wanted from a young age. Ever since she had lost her parents due to the Sound and Sand invasion all she had wanted was for a caring family to look after her, to love her. And right now she was being offered this on a silver platter.

"Thank you!" Noma squealed to Naruto who smiled fondly at that and hugged into her fully now, closing his eyes in the process.

Ino smiled at the interaction between Noma and Naruto. It was evident now that Noma had always wanted a family and everyone was aware that Naruto had always wanted a family too. For them to come together and make a father and daughter pair just seemed sweet in so many different ways. She was finding it extremely hard now to find fault with the man before her.

Kyoki and Hiku watched the exchange in mild fascination. They were glad that Noma finally had a father, they really were. Both of them could not help the slightly bitter feeling they had in their minds though. Neither of them knew their fathers. Kyoki's father was dead, she knew he had at least died protecting his home and his love yet she still missed the feeling of having a father. As much as she thought about that though, Shikamaru was the closest thing she had to a father, and although he denied it most of the time, he did treat her as if she were his own child. Hiku on the other hand had absolutely no idea who either of her parents was, she was watched over and loved by the Clan head and the Branch head yet she still wished she knew who her parents were.

Naruto and Noma split from their hug that had lasted quite a good few moments now and Naruto stood up straight again. Noma stood back from him and then moved around so that she stood at his side. Ino had to stifle a giggle at the size comparison; Naruto stood towering over his new daughter.

"Right now that has been decided you are now called Noma Uzumaki" Naruto spoke with authority and Noma nodded her head in agreement. Naruto smiled after speaking and then looked to Noma and then everyone else within his home. "Now after being serious let's do something fun!" Naruto said as he fist pumped into the air. All of the girls looked at him expectantly while Ino raised an eyebrow at him.

"Out of interest, what level of fun are we talking about?" Ino asked trying her hardest to stay composed as she spoke to him. She did succeed, even if it was at a great amount of effort. Naruto looked at her and she could feel the heat rising to her face and cursed her luck. She must look like a little girl with a crush right now, not what she wanted him to see right now, not at all in the slightest. Naruto appeared to be ignorant of her intention of avoiding his gaze and simply smiled in her direction as he gave his answer.

"Training!" Naruto answered in response with a big grin on his face. Ino shook her head lightly, despite Naruto growing up it seemed like he was destined to stay a child at heart, yet as she thought about it. she would have it absolutely no other way, it was part of the charm of Uzumaki Naruto.

"What can we train on though?" Hiku asked. Ino had taught her Genin of course, yet her speciality was useless to them and they had to get training from their parents or carers in the ways of other techniques. Which she realised now meant that Noma was actually lacking in this area, which was a dangerous thing. Her worries were put to rest however with the next thing Naruto said.

"How about I teach you my favourite Jutsu?" Naruto asked with a cheeky smile on his face. All of the girls looked at him in wonderment, yet they could not think about what it was that Naruto could possibly be trying to teach them. After all they knew little to nothing about his abilities, all they really knew was that he had perfected the Fourth Hokage's technique the Rasengan. Other than that they were completely stupefied.

"Are you sure that they will be able to do it Naruto-Kun? I mean you can do it because of your massive amounts of chakra" Ino asked tis time managing to mask her ill composed self. Naruto looked between the three of the girls, spending a few seconds staring at each of them before smiling and looking back at Ino.

"Have more trust in your team Ino-Chan, your girls have strong chakra systems, even if they get the basics now they can work on their chakra levels as they go on" Naruto explained as Ino had to agree with that. With time came better control of chakra and for some it improved the amount of chakra they had. "Okay! Let's go out into the training ground!" Naruto yelled enthusiastically as he made his way through his home towards the back of his house.

All of the girls turned to look at Ino who shrugged her shoulders and began to follow after Naruto herself. She knew exactly what they were in for. She just hoped that they would be up for the challenge because if not then they could miss out on a vital skill.

* * *

><p><em>Well here you guys go, I hope you like it. I felt that this chapter should adress the meeting and the adoption of Noma and then i felt that I could also add in Ino's epiphany about Naruto, but don't worry it wont be a fast and sudeen (lets become a couple) kind of thing. I know the chapters are getting shorter, it's simply because it is at a calm period just now and there's not much too really write about. I was also pleasantly happy with the amount of reviews I got last chapter, at least 12 in one go made a very happy me =] well next chapter will basically be about Naruto teaching his favourite technique to the girls, which I think you will be able to guess at, and then I might have him get a mission. I would also like to pose the question of Harem or no again, so that I get a solid amount of evidence of numbers of who does and doesn't want one. Anyway R&amp;R if you please because reviews make me happy and stimulate me to write more to keep you happy, making everyone happy =] as always thanks for enjoying and I'll see you all next chapter - Varrukh<em>


	12. Chapter 12 A Hero Confused

"I can't do it! It's too hard!" Hiku yelled from where she stood in the courtyard. She had been trying the same damn thing repeatedly but could not seem to get it right. It was as if there was simply force acting against her. She looked around her to see Noma and Kyoki at least having the same level of difficulty in doing the Jutsu. It was damn near impossible.

"You aren't alone, I can't get this to work either" Kyoki huffed as she breathed heavily. Both of them were completely soaked in their sweat from exertion. They had been trying to do the Jutsu that Naruto promised to teach them for a few hours now. So far the only one who showed any fruits coming about because of their labour was Noma. They looked over to the purple haired girl to see how far she had come now.

Noma was currently standing in the middle of the courtyard with her head bowed and her eyes closed. She was trying her hardest to concentrate. When she finally moved it was to cross her fingers over each other into the shape of a cross. She then proceeded to channel chakra around before uttering anything.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Noma called out and next to her a poof of smoke billowed. Everyone looked to that area in excitement. Even Naruto and Ino who had been standing back and allowing the girls to work on their own found their interest moving towards the billowing of smoke. When the smoke settled though, it revealed less than satisfactory results to the girl. Sprawled out on the ground was a deformed version of her that seemed to be struggling for air. With an annoyed grunt the doppelganger had popped back out of existence and Noma sat on the ground with an angry scowl marring her face.

Naruto, seeing that the technique appeared to be much harder than he realised, moved over to the three girls who seemed to be losing spirit. Ino stood still where she was, she was not capable of using the Shadow Clone Jutsu because her chakra reserves would not afford her the use of both clones and her own techniques. Due to this she felt that it would only be wise to let Naruto be the one to teach them, being a proficient user of the technique, at least the last time she had saw him before he had disappeared on his personal mission.

"Can any of you tell me what you are doing wrong?" Naruto asked as he stopped in front of the three girls. They were all completely exhausted; they had been trying for at least three hours straight to try and get the technique right but were bringing up nothing. All of the girls shook their heads. "Very well can you tell me how many clones you are trying to create?" Naruto asked as the girls all looked to him in a confused manner. Why would it matter how many clones they were trying to make?

"One" Noma answered eventually after a long silence. Kyoki and Hiku nodded affirmatively, that was all they were trying to get was one singular clone and they done all they could to get it Damnit!

"There-in lays the problem" Naruto answered as he smiled at the three of them. A mixture of confused faces looked back at him and even Ino was looking at him in astonishment, what the hell was he talking about? Surely making one Shadow Clone should be the point?

"Naruto-Kun, take pity on them, they and even I have no idea what you are talking about" Ino spoke from where she was standing with her arms crossed over her chest, subconsciously making her bust seem much larger than intended. Naruto turned to her and smiled with his eyes closed.

"My bad" Naruto responded before he turned back to those standing before him. "Right, what I mean is that, you are focusing too much on creating only the one clone. Too much concentration and it can sometimes have an adverse effect, simply allow your chakra to flow for now" Naruto said as he watched the faces of the girls not changing at all. He could have sworn he saw the question marks appearing above their heads. "Maybe it would be easier if I just show you" Naruto finally conceded as the three girls nodded their heads vigorously. He once again smiled at their antics, damn cheaters; he didn't get to see how it was done after all.

Performing the usual hand seals that had become almost commonplace to him by now, Naruto focused his chakra and then spoke words he probably didn't really need to say anymore. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu" Naruto spoke as at least twenty five separate Naruto's suddenly appeared all around them. The girls stared around themselves in complete and utter awe.

"Now you guys try it, just relax and use whatever amount of chakra that you have at the time" Naruto said as he stepped back from them all and smiled encouragingly at them. They all took the hint and done as instructed, they were pleasantly surprised when they heard pops and all around them were identical copies of themselves. Kyoki had at least three, Noma had five and Hiku surprisingly had eight doppelgangers. Naruto beamed at the girls before him, they had gotten it in the end, and he felt like a sensei already.

"Well done!" Naruto cheered as all of the girl's clones puffed out of existence, they were all panting even harder now after making quite so many clones for their first batch. Naruto had the advantage of massive stores of chakra. A devilish smirk appeared on Naruto's face as he had said before; if you got it you might as well flaunt it. "If you think you've done well now, like you rightly have. Just wait until you can do this" Naruto slightly teased as he was sure that he had all of the girls attention, Ino's included.

"Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto called out as around him hundreds of clones appeared around him with their arms crossed and big grins plastered across their faces. all the girls were staring at the original with mixed expressions, chief amongst them being envy. Ino simply shook her head at his show; trust Naruto to still hold his quality of showing off. She could not help but find it slightly cute though, one of Naruto's quirks.

* * *

><p>"I see that despite your improved Rasengan you still love that Jutsu" Naruto looked up to see a masked ANBU officer standing upside down on the branch of a tree that extended out over Naruto. Naruto simply smiled up at the ANBU above him.<p>

"Hello Kakashi-Sensei" Naruto spoke happily as the man above him stopped the chakra flow to his feet and dropped to the ground. Ino found it funny how casually Naruto spoke to the soon to be Hokage. Hiku, Kyoki and Noma simply stared at the exchange that was happening before them. It was the strongest pair of Shinobi in the entire village that had not too long ago fought and basically destroyed a training ground.

"I was going to offer my assistance, yet it would appear you managed to teach them pretty well on your own" Kakashi said as he eye smiled at his former student. Naruto took the praise happily and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"I didn't do much" Naruto responded bashfully. Ino felt extremely close to shooting over to him and hugging the living daylights out of him, he was so damn adorable when he was bashful.

"On the contrary, you taught these girls an extremely difficult Jutsu in under four hours, with your own experience with the Jutsu you helped them come to grips with it quicker" Kakashi spoke happily as Naruto seemed to become even more embarrassed under the praise. His embarrassment was quickly replaced with a beaming smile directed at his sensei.

Kakashi for the first time found that he was rendered speechless. That smile that Naruto had just directed at him was a true smile, one that conveyed his happiness. Yet it was with this smile that Kakashi was finally able to rack his brain and see the smiles Naruto had shown over the years and realise just how fake they all were. A part of him felt disgusted that he could not see such a thing, he was taught to look underneath the underneath yet Naruto fooled him very well. The other part of him however was proud and happy for the man before him; it seemed as if things were finally looking up for him after 21 years. And if the looks he was receiving from Ino were anything to go by, there were plenty of other good things just waiting to happen for him.

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei" Naruto responded earnestly, his smile had yet to leave his face yet no-one was grudging him his smile, it was nice to see one on his face.

"Think nothing of it Naruto, you deserve praise" Kakashi said as he eye smiled at Naruto once again. Ino smiled to herself at the warm atmosphere provided by the teacher and student, her team were feeling the same moving effects as they hoped they could have such a relationship with their sensei in the future.

"Indeed he does, Naruto-Kun deserves more praise than we can give him" everyone turned to the source of the voice only to see Mei Terumi walking towards them with Ao and Chojuro in toe, all following behind a Naruto clone. Naruto smiled at the Mizukage due to the kind words she was speaking about him.

"Mizukage-Sama" Kakashi spoke as he bowed his head slightly towards the woman, he knew that she was coming and as such did not allow her or her guard's presence surprise him. Naruto had invited them all to stay at his home for the night after all. Mei smiled at the masked man.

"Please Kakashi-san, there is no need to be so formal, just call me Mei" Mei spoke as she smiled at him once again. Ao and Chojuro stood stoic still, they were in the middle of another village's Shinobi ranks. Whilst there were the treaties that held together the alliances of all the hidden villages there was still the nagging feeling in the back of their minds to never fully let their guards down.

"Hi Mei-Chan!" Naruto called out receiving a beautiful smile from the water shadow. Despite the situation and their feelings of slight discomfort, both Chojuro and Ao found the time to roll their eyes at the antics of the young blond and the woman they were currently protecting.

"Hello Naruto-Kun, I hope that the offer of staying here is still valid?" Mei asked softly. She did not miss the way that the other blond that stood not too far away from Naruto flinched at those words. However Naruto, who was facing her with his back to Ino, did not see this pained look crossing the blond beauty's face.

"Of course Mei-Chan, I don't go back on my word, it's my Nindo" Naruto responded happily, unaware of the other pained look that crossed over Ino's face. This time Kakashi had seen it also and could understand why she was acting as such and it also confirmed suspicions to him as well. It confirmed to him that she felt something for the blond haired boy if she was to get saddened by hearing Mei and Naruto's conversation.

Ino felt disheartened. She finally thinks that she has found the man of her dreams and already it seemed as if he was going to be stolen away from her. After all, how could she compare to the beauty or the strength of the Mizukage? It was too depressing to even think about. Ino figured that training was over for the day anyway and started to make her way towards the gateway of the compound. This did not go missed however.

"Where are you going Ino-Chan?" Naruto asked softly as he could see her trying to make a silent escape. Her team looked to her too as they didn't know that she was going to be leaving.

"I think that we have all had enough training for one day, come on Hiku-Chan, Kyoki-Chan, I'll walk you home" Ino said in the happiest voice she could muster. Naruto saw right through it, being the master of masks, yet did not think it to be a wise idea to snoop on Ino, she didn't seem too happy at all. Hiku and Kyoki looked to each other in confusion before seeing their sensei slowly leaving, quickly saying goodbye to Noma they chased after Ino, catching her really quickly.

"Okay, see you girls later, I'll get Noma-Chan up in time for your meeting tomorrow" Naruto called out as the trio made their way out of the compound past the Mizukage and her retinue. Then it seemed to dawn on Naruto that he had no idea at what time he would have to get Noma up at. "Ino-Chan! What time do you guys meet and where!" Naruto called after her as she was further away than he had anticipated. When he did not receive a reply from her he went to move forward only to walk into an arm.

"Don't Naruto, Noma-Chan will be able to tell you what time they meet and where, I will go and make sure that Ino is ok, alright?" Kakashi said as he rounded on the blond who was being stopped by his arm. Naruto looked into the one eye he could see and understood instantly, if he was to go and see what was wrong he might make things worse. Naruto nodded his head in understanding and turned to look at Noma. The little girl was looking up to him with a tired smile on her face. Naruto felt his own face twisting into a smile of its own.

"You ready for bed then Noma-Chan?" Naruto asked the girl before him who looked up and nodded her head with her tired smile still in place. Naruto walked over to her and started to walk into the main house of the compound. "Come on you guys and I'll show you your rooms" Naruto called over his shoulder to the first three guests of his humble abode.

"I shall go and see how Ino is doing, until next time Naruto" Kakashi said as he flashed Naruto another eye smiled before disappearing in a swirl of leaves. _I hope you are ok Ino-Chan_ Naruto thought before walking into his home.

* * *

><p>After Naruto showed Noma to where her room was he left her to get changed and climb into bed, not before he got the time he had to wake her from her and then walked out. Mei, Ao and Chojuro were patiently waiting for him once he had exited. Mei had yet another beautiful smile on her face, despite the troubling thoughts about the blond before, had she said something she shouldn't have by any chance? Naruto motioned for them to follow him and lead them to a stairway in his home which was at the opposite side of the sitting room.<p>

As they ascended the stairs they found themselves completely captured by the beauty and majesty of the building they were currently in, the most surprising thing of all was that it was not only them who were staring at the building in such a manner. Even their host was walking slowly as he took in everything that was on the walls. There were pictures of all different people, some of people Naruto knew and others that he didn't. It did not take a genius to figure out his father knew a lot of people.

He regained himself quickly though and continued up until they came to the landing of the second level of the house. On this level there were five doors, three on one side of the corridor with two on the other. He walked over to the middle of the three on one side and opened the door.

"There you go Mei-Chan, this is your room" Naruto spoke as he looked to the water goddess behind him. She gave him a beautiful smile in thanks before noticing him turning his eyes upon her guards. "So you can still tend to your duties I gave you three joined rooms, so you both have rooms on either side of Mei-Chan, there is a door joining to her room if for any need you have to get in there" Naruto said to the two guards in a friendly manner, smiling at them too.

Ao had to admit that he liked the man; he was younger than him yet seemed to give him enough respect and understood their situation perfectly. Probably the most powerful ninja in the world and here he was offering a place for a Kage and her guards to stay, only now did it strike Ao how insignificant he was compared to his host, he even realised that his Kage might pale in comparison to Naruto. He honestly felt that she would probably not argue that either.

Ao and Chojuro nodded their heads towards their host before he smiled at them again and took a step backwards so as to address all of them.

"Whenever you get up, there will be some breakfast ready for you, so sleep as long as you want" Naruto said as he looked to all of them waiting for confirmation.

"Worry not Naruto-Kun, we will be up sharp in the morning so as not to become a burden upon your household" Mei spoke softly to Naruto who simply waved his hands in front of himself disarmingly while laughing slightly.

"No it is ok you don't have to worry about that, unless Baa-Chan calls me for a mission I will be training Noma-Chan tomorrow" Naruto responded before he stopped waving his hands and opened his eyes to see Mei giggling lightly to herself with her hand covering her mouth. Naruto smiled at her laughter, it seemed to just roll off of her so easily and effortlessly.

"You're very pretty when you laugh Mei-Chan" Naruto admitted as Ao and Chojuro looked to him in surprise, they had a hard enough time getting her to even smile yet Naruto managed to make her laugh as if it were second nature to him. Then again, they had heard tell that before Naruto had become a Shinobi he was an infamous prankster, even able to outwit some of the Hokage's ANBU. At the unexpected compliment Mei started to blush and turn away from the blond before them.

"Thank you Naruto-Kun, no-one has ever told me that before, though I guess it was because there was never all that much to laugh at" Mei admitted as she looked to the ground, it wasn't a lie, not in the slightest. Her village had gone through a civil war, and then once she takes over as Mizukage, things go to shit and the Fourth Shinobi War breaks out, there really was not too much to laugh about in the past. Those were her thoughts as she then felt a pair of strong hands on either side of her face making her look up again. She was met with the smiling face of Naruto, not a few inches away from her own face. She was surprised that neither Ao nor Chojuro had tried to stop him; perhaps he had actually gained their trust?

"Don't worry Mei-Chan, I'll do my hardest to make sure you can laugh a lot more from now on" Naruto said as he smiled to her with his eyes closed. He was so close, it was almost hurting her to stay there, to not do anything. It was like his very presence created a magnetic field around him, something about him that attracted her to him. Oh she knew she was attracted to him of course and she knew why, but this was like a magnet attracted to another, the power behind it was hard to fight against.

After a moment he let go of her face, much to her own chagrin and started to head away again. Before he reached the stairs however he cast his gaze over his shoulder and looked to all of them again before saying "Goodnight guys, as I said breakfast will be ready whenever you get up" smiling before he then proceeded down the stairs and out of their sight.

"That man is full of surprises" Mei spoke suddenly, causing both of her guards to look at her before nodding their heads in agreement. Indeed he was, indeed he was. And with that they all made their way into their respective rooms, with one of the three thinking about the actions of the blond haired man and how close they were to losing control with him.

* * *

><p>Naruto collapsed onto one of the many couches within his sitting room, he was not exactly exhausted, more to the fact you could say he was bored. He enjoyed training with Noma of course, yet he wanted to tactually do something in the manner of a mission, like he wanted to do something, anything. Then there was also the fact that there was unfinished business all over the place now. Promises he had to keep, people he wanted to see again, places he would have to visit once again. Yet he knew he couldn't leave Konoha for three reasons.<p>

First of all was Noma. If he was going to leave he would not be leaving her alone in Konoha again and he would take her with him. he knew she would not argue with him over it and that was why he did not want to do it, she deserved the chance to grow up and have her friends, mature alongside her friends as their team grew in strength.

Second of all were all of the people that he would leave behind. He knew how hard they would all take it. The Hokage, Sakura, the rest of the rookie 9. None of them would be happy if he were to leave, it would be like cutting off all ties he had with his comrades and friends. He could not do that to them, he knew it would hurt him just as much as it would hurt them. Not to mention how badly it would affect Ino. It would affect her badly but would also impact her team if he were to take Noma with him.

It was Ino that was his final reason though. He knew how badly it would affect both her and him if he were to leave Konoha to travel. She talked to him, about things she seemed not to want to tell anyone else, about things she would have probably preferred to keep to herself, yet she told him in complete confidence and trust. If he were gone she would lose one of her most trusted friends and he would lose one of the most important things to him since Sasuke. Yes that was how much she meant to him already.

Naruto knew why she meant as much to him as well. After what he had been through and what she had helped him through, it would be hard not know why he felt such a way about her. He had gone through a rough patch and she had been there the entire time, not once leaving him alone and he was grateful for it. When it all became too much for him to hold back and he had broken down and spoke to Sakura, sure a part of him spoke to her like that since she understood his pain, but the other point was that he did not want Ino to have to worry about him more than she already did.

Ino had looked after him for so long; made sure he was alright and kept a silent vigil for so long. When it all became too much he was glad when Sakura was there because it gave him someone to talk to about everything but it also took the load off of Ino's shoulders, he did not want her to bear too much of it all. He was not about to put it all down to the fact that he cared about his precious people all the same because saying such things was ludicrous and even he knew it. No, he knew the entire reason that he done all of that for Ino.

He loved her; at least he thought he loved her. He knew that he cared about her on a different level from his friends and even more than he loved Baa-Chan or Ero-Sennin, but he was unsure if this was the love between a man and a woman, or if he was just thinking that way. Whatever the case was he knew that he definitely cared about her deeply and did not want to harm her in any way that he would inflict. He would hang back for now however, he would see how things went with them to figure out his feelings.

He had the familiar feeling that was someone at the gates of his mansion and activated his Hiraishin no Jutsu and appeared by the gateway to his courtyard, to find Gaara and his siblings standing there, well, Temari was standing. Kankuro had gotten a fright and fallen on his arse at the sudden appearance of Naruto. He smiled at the floored man before opening the gate and allowing the other set of guests into his compound, he turned to lead them into the compound, sparing the slightest of moments to think about Ino and how she was doing before proceeding to show his friends from Suna their sleeping accommodations for the night.

* * *

><p>Kakashi had landed outside of the apartment he was sure was occupied by Ino, yet like everything else, nothing ventured, nothing gained. With that in his mind Kakashi then moved over towards the doorway of the apartment. He knocked on it softly enough not to awaken anyone else in the complex but enough for her to at least hear, he hoped. A few moments passed and Kakashi considered knocking on the door again. He was saved the bother when the door slowly opened to reveal Ino.<p>

She was smiling softly but Kakashi could see the redness in her eyes and knew what had been going on. As surprised as he may have been he could not deny what was so blindingly obvious so he waited for her to speak before he said anything, just to give her the time to prepare for talking to him.

"Kakashi-Sensei… what's wrong?" Ino croaked out and hastily rubbed at her neck, trying to make it out to look like she had a sore throat, yet Kakashi was smarter than that and took that as the final clue that indicated that she had in fact been crying. He looked directly at her and at that one instant Ino knew he was onto her, he didn't even need the Sharingan to see what was so blindingly obvious.

"I think the correct question would be are you alright Ino?" Kakashi asked her softly which she was surprised at, the future Hokage was coming to make sure that she was alright. What had she done to deserve such a prestigious honour? Even if she took out the fact he was the future Hokage, he was a sensei that never took much notice of what she done except when she, Choji and Shikamaru tried to take out the Akatsuki duo.

"I'm fine Kakashi-Sensei, why would I be anything else?" Ino asked innocently yet the look that Kakashi gave her told her that he didn't buy it one bit. How much she hated Shinobi sometimes, they could always read the most subtle of things and with Kakashi it was as if all of those senses were heightened and refined to a divine level.

"Ino, let's just skip the 'I'm fine' stuff when we both know it is the complete opposite of how you are feeling" Kakashi responded again softly. Ino could not believe that it was she who was seeing this side of Kakashi; she had a feeling that she would be the talk of the village if knowledge of Kakashi's mannerisms towards her were spread around. That and the amount of time she actually spent with Naruto. Now that she thought about it she never wanted knowledge of it to get out, she would get murdered from two separate fan-girl groups.

"I hate how good you are at reading people Kakashi-Sensei, it's like we can keep anything from you" Ino responded trying to at least sound playful to lighten the mood, despite it being her that was in the sombre mood. However, despite that Kakashi was able to laugh and eye-smile at her.

"That's going to have to be my job soon enough Ino-San, I will have to be able to tell when my Shinobi are being honest and when they are deceiving me, that and making sure my Shinobi and Kunoichi are all alright" Kakashi said as he still eye-smiled at her before his face fell to seriousness again and he fixed Ino with a stare that spoke more to her than words would.

"I guess you might as well come in since I doubt you'd listen to me if I told you I'm fine" Ino spoke in a slightly defeated voice to which Kakashi only nodded his head, it was all he had to do and he knew it, he was not about to leave her alone when she was so clearly hurting. He would have left it for Naruto to take care of except for two distinct reasons.

First of all was that it was by no fault of his own that Ino was in this current state, after hearing how the Mizukage had spoken to Naruto and what she had said, it was obvious to see how things had been mixed up.

The second reason was that Naruto had visitors in his home and he would be a poor host if he were to leave them alone most of the night, that and the fact that he was basically a celebrity he would have to deal with the highest calibre of Shinobi, even if it was only to keep things running smoothly for their village.

* * *

><p>Ino had brought Kakashi in to her sitting room and sat him down on one of the two couches in her apartment. She left him to make some tea and left Kakashi to think about how to approach the apparently touchy subject of Naruto to the poor girl. He did not want to talk in a manner that might scare her or even veer her away from him, quite the opposite in fact. He wanted her and Naruto to be happy in whatever they done, the same went for all Shinobi and Kunoichi that he would soon take full responsibility over.<p>

It was not long before Ino reappeared in the sitting room with a tray that had to teacups and a small kettle. Setting it down on the table between both couches she then proceeded to pour tea for them both and take her own teacup and sat into her seat. Kakashi sat up to get his own teacup and then relaxed into his seat also. It took him a few more moments for him to finally work up the courage to think of anything to say to her.

"Now then, tell me what is it that is wrong Ino-San? Why did you leave in such a hurry from the Namikaze compound?" Kakashi asked straightforwardly, so it wasn't too well thought out, he was worried. Ino looked up from her tea swirling around in her cup to look at him for the barest of moments before becoming more interested in the tea again.

"Isn't it obvious Kakashi-Sensei? If you are able to read me as well as I said you could then it should be no real surprise why I am this way" Ino countered with a slight amount of mirth in her voice. Kakashi had to admit she was right but he didn't want to say it to her.

"Although you are right I never wanted to presume too much, I can always tell about honesty or deception, but in such situations I do not want to be too presumptuous and end up being wrong. I am quite sure that if I got it wrong just now we would have a difficult relationship in the future" Kakashi responded as he had thought about that. If he were to come out and say he thought she loved Naruto and it had been wrong then it may have negative effects on their relationship in the future as Hokage and Kunoichi.

"Don't worry Kakashi-Sensei, I won't hate you if you are wrong because I have a feeling you already know anyway, you're one of the only people who I think will have been able to piece it together so quickly" Ino said as she once again looked up from her tea with a sad smile on her face. Kakashi knew that he was correct in his intuition, what she had just said and that smile more or less solidified it for him.

"You love him don't you?" Kakashi asked her to which she smiled again. He knew he was right with that simple motion, that simple smile was all that he needed to solidify it for himself.

"Yes I do, I love him, but I don't know if I love him for the right reasons" Ino spoke too uncertainly for it to really be coming from her mouth. Kakashi looked at her for a second before he took a sip of his tea, she didn't know if she loved him for the right reasons?

"How do you mean Ino-San?" Kakashi asked, the way Ino had acted made it seem as if the way Mei had spoken had gotten to her, was this real reason that she was so torn up? Or could it have been a mixture of the two things?

"I mean, I know that I love him, but I don't know if I love him for all the right reasons" Ino said as she once again became interested in her tea that she had yet to take a sip of. "I love him but he's only been back for three weeks so how can I be sure that this is love that I feel for him?" Ino asked as she once again looked up to Kakashi with her eyes burning with confusion. Kakashi was able to understand better now; she thought that loving him after three weeks was far too quick to love him, at least correctly.

"Well, I won't pretend to be an expert on the field of love, it is a thing I have never been too successful with" Kakashi answered at which Ino's face fell, she thought when he was so set on making sure that she was alright that he might be able to help her, she was too confused to say that she had spent enough time with him to love him, after all he could have changed drastically and was not showing it, he was good at masks after all. "However…" Kakashi continued to which Ino looked up expectantly. "… I believe time is inconsequential when it comes to love, you have heard the phrase 'love at first sight' right? There must be some element of truth to that if it is such a well-used phrase" Kakashi finished as Ino seemed to understand what he was getting at.

"Are you saying that even if I fell in love with him the moment I saw him it wouldn't exactly be wrong?" Ino asked more confidently now to which Kakashi eye smiled at her and sipped some more tea, it was actually really good; he couldn't understand why she was not trying any.

"I wouldn't say so, but I guess that would be just me, each to their own obviously, I can only speak for me and not everyone" Kakashi responded and Ino had to admit it was technically true, thought it did make her feel better.

"Thank you Kakashi-Sensei for clearing that up for me, I still have something that is bothering me though, if you don't mind listening to me?" Ino asked sounding much more certain of her again, it seemed as if his answer to her problem before had cleared up her mind a bit better and now she was more willing to speak to him, a fact he was only too happy about.

"Of course Ino-San, think of me like the wise old man of the village, because that will be my post soon" Kakashi answered with an eye-smile and a bit of a chuckle.

"So are you saying that Tsunade-Sama is old then?" Ino asked in a sly manner that had the entire colour draining from Kakashi's face. He quickly waved his hands in front of his face with his eyes closed. Ino had to admit that it seemed like there were a few people that Naruto seemed to rub off on, or perhaps Kakashi had rubbed off on Naruto? Either way Ino could not deny that show was somewhat adorable whoever done it, though she preferred it on Naruto.

"Oh lord no! Don't tell her I said that, she'll kill me!" Kakashi pleaded as he was on his hands and knees in front of her. She found it slightly funny that a man who could destroy other Shinobi like it were nothing and was soon about to take the post of the most powerful Shinobi in the village was cowering at the thought of the current Hokage's vengeance if she were to hear of such things.

"Relax Kakashi-Sensei that was just a little bit of fun" Ino giggled out at which Kakashi stopped waving his arms around so frantically and smiled at Ino who seemed to be much better now. "But my problem just now is the Mizukage; does she feel something for Naruto-Kun too?" Ino asked to which Kakashi could only stare at her blankly, he was definitely good at the game of reading people, he had the problem sussed out before he even came here.

"To my better knowledge I would have to say that I doubt the Mizukage has any feelings for Naruto, thought to be honest there is not much about her that I know" Kakashi admitted as Ino looked to him in confusion. "She is a very attractive woman of both stature and power, she could have many different calibre of men yet cannot seem to find the one that she wants" Kakashi said and Ino looked at him slightly alarmed by what he was saying, it sounded like he though the Mizukage might in fact be interested in Naruto.

"So you think she might feel something for Naruto-Kun?" Ino asked Kakashi who for the first time looked down at his own tea which was at a significantly lower level than Ino's was at. He sighed slightly before looking up at Ino again.

"I don't want to insult you by lying yet at the same time I don't want to hurt you by being honest" Kakashi admitted to which Ino was truly surprised, sure she had realised he was looking out for her but this seemed to be on a different level, she was quite sure Kakashi would have come straight out with it with anyone else, yet he was giving her the choice of the truth or not.

"Just tell me the truth please Kakashi-Sensei" Ino spoke softly as she had a feeling that she knew what was coming, she didn't want to admit it but a part of her just knew. Although it would hurt to hear, after getting the worst of what was bothering her off her chest, she felt she could bear it, for now at least.

"I think there is a good chance that Mizukage-Dono does probably feel something for Naruto, the same may apply for many of the Kunoichi ranks" Kakashi admitted to which Ino was not really surprised, she was surprised he added in the other Kunoichi but she guessed she should have seen it coming.

"Well I guess that sets out what I have to do now wouldn't you say?" Ino asked to which she then stood up and stretched causing Kakashi to look at her with a slightly confused look on his face.

"Ino-San?" Kakashi asked as Ino cracked her knuckles and then her neck. She finished with her stretches and then looked to Kakashi with a determined smile on her face; all traces of her earlier uncertainty seemed to have fully vanished and for that Kakashi was grateful and slightly proud. She may not have ever been his student but that did not mean he couldn't be proud of her.

"I'm going to become the one that outdoes all of the others, the one that Naruto chooses" Ino spoke so confidently that Kakashi almost felt as if he were staring at the female version of his former student, with a smile he realised that all that Ino was about to do was quite needless, she was probably all that Naruto would want already, however he would again not be too presumptuous and just let things play out as was the great scheme of things.

"In that case I wish you good luck" Kakashi said as he finished off his tea and stood to his feet. "Thank you for the tea Ino-San it was exquisite" Kakashi said as he made his way over to the door, he knew he would not have to worry about Ino for a while, she seemed to be set in her way and determined to do as she had said, he could not wait to see how things would go for them.

"Thank you Kakashi-Sensei, for listening to me" Ino responded softly as Kakashi made it to the door of her apartment. Before he made his exit he turned to look at her with a half serious and half happy face.

"Worry not about it Ino-San, all that I ask is that you stay as determined as you are and never give up" Kakashi answered before he turned around and opened the door before him. "Like I said before Ino-San, I wish you luck on your quest" Kakashi finished as he moved out of the door and onto the walkway. _Well that was fast, she is definitely a determined one, I can only hope that you come to see how much that girl loves you Naruto_ Kakashi thought to himself before using a Shunshin to disappear.

* * *

><p><em>Well you guys here is a nice Christmas present for those of you who read this on Christmas day because I finished this at 23:50 of GMT time zone. I hope you guys don't hate me too much for the delay, my only excuse is that I have had things that needed doing and have prevented me from getting this done. Anyway as always I hoped you read and enjoyed and are looking forward for the next chapter of The Return Of The Hero Of Konoha, I'll try to get it up before New Year but I won't make any always please R&amp;R, that would be lovely =] - Varrukh<em>


	13. Chapter 13 First Mission

Ino had slept extremely well after her conversation with Kakashi. Like a dull layer had descended over her and with that simple conversation it had been lifted again. She stretched out on her bed as she felt the kinks in her bones correcting themselves and setting into the right place. With a satisfied groan Ino slumped back down onto her bed. She wiped away the sleep from her eyes and finally got out of her bed. Looking to the clock she could see that it was 7am sharp.

She stood onto her feet and stretched once again, just to make sure there were no more kinks left in her body. Content to see that she had none left she moved through her apartment towards the bathroom and stepped into her shower. As she allowed the water to cascade down her form she felt as if the sleep were being washed away. It did not take her long to finish her shower and with a contented sigh she exited and made her way to her room to prepare for the day.

She had barely finished getting dressed when she heard the sound of her front door going. _Strange, who would be calling at this time in the morning?_ Ino thought to herself as she finished dressing and then made her way to her front door. Before she could make her way there however there was more knocking at her door, indicating that said person at the door was getting slightly impatient.

"Hold your horses, I'm almost there" Ino groaned to whoever it was that was on the other side of the door. As she made it to the door she quickly unlocked and opened the door, trying to make sure whoever it was had nothing to complain about. What she had not anticipated was the man who was standing at her door.

Standing at the door was the man of her thoughts for the last couple of days. Naruto stood outside of her doorway with his hand resting on the back of his head rubbing against it with his trademark sheepish smile. "Hehe, good morning Ino-Chan" Naruto spoke sheepishly as his looks would have indicated.

"Naruto-Kun? What's wrong?" Ino asked as she became suddenly worried. If Naruto was at her door this early in the morning it had to mean one of two things. Either there was something really important that could not wait a minute longer, which since it was Naruto she could fully understand. The other reason she could think of was that Naruto needed her help with something and this seemed to make the most sense.

Naruto smiled at her again as he looked around and then back at Ino again. "Nothing is wrong Ino-Chan I promise I just need your help with something" Naruto spoke. Ino quirked an eyebrow at the straightforward manner in which he had decided to phrase it but guessed she should have expected it.

"Okay fair enough, what do you need my help with then?" Ino asked as she could feel the familiar tightening of something in her stomach as she spoke to Naruto. Then as he smiled at her once again she found that whatever it was tightened even further and she found herself smiling back at him absentminded she was even doing it.

"Well the thing is Baa-Chan just sent ANBU to get me to report in, something about a mission for me, I was going to ask if you could watch Noma-Chan for a few days." Naruto asked as he looked to her hopefully. Ino knew that any willpower she might have otherwise had would have completely vanished at that moment and time. When he made that face she just couldn't say no to him, or maybe it was just that she didn't want to say no to him.

Then it dawned on Ino that she couldn't see Noma at all as she looked around she still could not locate her student. When she looked around to Naruto again she could see a smile on his face that was almost literally screaming 'I know something you don't'. When she seen that he was actually looking up above her she looked up only to find her student standing on the roof of the overlap over her doorway.

"Hello Ino-Sensei" Noma said in a cheery voice before dropping down to the ground in an impressive show of acrobatics right in front of Ino. Naruto just smiled at his adoptive daughters antics; she was beginning to pick up on his habits. If you got it, flaunt it. Ino looked up to the smiling Naruto with a quirked eyebrow once again.

"What can I say? She takes after her father?" Naruto jokingly asked as he shrugged his shoulders and Noma simply grinned. "Anyway would it be alright if you look after Noma-Chan? I don't want her to be in that compound all by herself" Naruto spoke softly as he said it all and Ino felt touched at the level of care he was taking of his adoptive daughter.

"It's fine Naruto-Kun, I have a spare room that she can use" Ino said as she smiled at Naruto, telling him with actions that everything was alright. Naruto waved his arms in the air as he smiled once again at Ino.

"You don't have to worry about that Ino-Chan, I already cleared a room for you at my compound, I thought that if I was to ask something of you then I should give something back, give and take and all that" Naruto responded and was completely unaware of the fact that he had completely floored Ino with that statement. While her mind went to work on other meanings for what he had said the rational part of her mind finally kicked in.

"You don't have to do that Naruto-Kun, I have plenty of space here for Noma-Chan" Ino tried to argue but was stopped when Naruto waved his hand in the air, dismissing her arguments.

"Don't worry about it Ino-Chan, the compound is just going to be sitting idle for the next few days so I might as well get some use out of it, as such I'm letting you and your team train there and take up residence if you particularly want" Naruto said to her casually. He knew exactly what it sounded like he was saying. If he and Ino were to be dating this would have probably been the moving in together stage. Alas that was not the case as he was doing it more for Noma's sake than hers or his, he wanted her to get used to their home, if Ino stayed there then that meant Noma could still have some company and if the other girls stayed too then the more the merrier for them all.

"I…But Naruto…" Ino tried to speak as her voice cut out on her and would not work again. Naruto smiled at how flustered Ino was getting at what could have been such a simple thing. Noma was simply staring at her sensei in slight confusion but upon seeing the smile on her father's face adopted one too.

"Relax Ino-Chan, it's not that big of a deal, you don't even need to worry about cleaning up, just stay there with Noma-Chan until I return, please?" Naruto asked now as he turned on her with those pleading eyes that shot away her resistance in a heartbeat. A smile crept onto her face as she finally got her mind back on track and her rational mind was now back in full control again.

"Okay Naruto-Kun although it would have been fine for her to stay here, I will take you up on your offer" Ino said as her smile never once faltered. Noma smiled too, at least this way she would not have to get accustomed to yet another bed, and she would still be able to continue training in a familiar place. Naruto grinned now as he rushed over to Ino and enveloped her into a tight hug which kept Ino's arms at her side.

"You're the best Ino-Chan!" Naruto said to her before he landed a soft peck on her right cheek. Ino blushed at the unexpected kiss on her cheek but could not hide it as her arms were stuck by her side. Naruto decided to ignore the blush that she was sporting because he knew why it was there an honestly thought it looked quite cute.

After a moment Naruto finally released a scarlet Ino who quickly turned away from both he and Noma. "I have to go now Ino-Chan otherwise Baa-Chan will get angry at me" Naruto spoke with a smile directed at Ino before he adopted a scared face. "Baa-Chan is scary when she's angry" Naruto spoke mainly to himself yet caused Ino and Noma to giggle at him.

"No she isn't, you just get her riled up all the time Naruto-Kun" Ino answered for him as he had to look at her with a defeated look on his face.

"Come on, I'm not that bad am I?" Naruto asked laughing sheepishly but was only met with serious expressions from both girls. "That's not nice girls, you cut me deep" Naruto said as he fell to his knees and a depressed cloud formed over his slumped body. Ino smirked at his antics but knelt down and lifted Naruto from the ground.

"Stop being so melodramatic and go see Tsunade-Sama" Ino spoke in an authoritarian way at which Naruto nodded his head in understanding.

"Okay, I'll see you guys in a few days if we're lucky" Naruto said as he started to rummage around in his pocket before pulling out a key. "This is the key to the front door, the seal on the front gate already recognises you as 'granted access'. There is also money in your room if for any reason you need to buy anything" Naruto said as he handed Ino the key. He looked between both girls before he spoke again. "Well that's all I think, be good Noma-Chan and don't cause problems for Ino-Chan" Naruto said before looking at the girl who gave him a serious look before smiling and nodding her head.

Without much further ado Naruto then turned and disappeared on the spot in a Shunshin.

Ino turned to the girl who was simply smiling at the antics of her father and Ino found herself smiling too. Naruto was just so full of surprises and adorable moments that Ino felt she would never truly know when she would tire of them. "Well Noma-Chan if you don't mind waiting a few moments I'll collect some things and we can get going" Ino said happily as the girl nodded her head in the affirmative before they both headed back into Ino's home.

* * *

><p>Naruto appeared in Tsunade's office without much warning and caused many of the papers on her desk to fly all around the room. He would have expected a thorough beating for causing such a mess if it wasn't for the fact that the Hokage was currently absent from the room. Shrugging his shoulders at her absence he rested himself into the chair opposite the Hokage desk and made himself comfortable, ready to wait for her return.<p>

He did not have to wait long as barely even five minutes later Tsunade walked in appearing to be rather flustered and tired looking. Upon seeing Naruto in her room her features softened slightly and a ghost of a smile graced her lips. "Sorry I'm late Naruto, something came up at the hospital that I had to take care of" Tsunade explained as she fell into he chair and let loose an exasperated sigh. "I hope I haven't kept you waiting long?" Tsunade asked as she looked at the man who sat opposite her with a patient smile.

"By no means Baa-Chan, duty calls and you would have to answer to it as Hokage" Naruto responded with a soft smile of his own. Tsunade smiled at him. She really liked this mature and smart Naruto, not that she disliked the other one. His mischievous ways always got a slight giggle from her but she liked the refined Naruto, once again she mentally complained at the age gap between them with a bit of humour.

"Well I can't wait until this title is taken from me and I only have one responsibility, it will make my life easier" Tsunade said in a dream like voice as she stared into the distance. Then she heard a snort and then some chuckling from ~Naruto. She rounded on him to see him laughing gently.

"Admit it Baa-Chan, with me around, your life will never be easy" Naruto said with his foxy grin plastered across his face and Tsunade had to agree with him. Living in the same village as the Number One Most Unpredictable Ninja did mean her life would never truly be easy, but she could hope.

"I guess you're right, I take it you got my message then?" Tsunade asked as she assumed her 'Hokage pose' that Naruto knew was supposed to mean she was composed but still found it funny when she became so serious all of a sudden. There was just so many ways that he could have fun with the situation that he couldn't hold himself back. Adorning a confused look Naruto looked at Tsunade for a few seconds before shaking his head.

"No, I never got any messages, I just came here for a simple friendly chat" Naruto spoke as sincerely as he could, Tsunade simply looked at him through unimpressed eyes as they rolled in their sockets and then onto the document that was in the middle of her desk. It was then that she noticed all of the other documents all over the ground.

"When the hell did they get all over the place?" Tsunade asked more to herself as she looked around the fallen pieces of paper. She could see Naruto fidgeting around in his chair with a sheepish smile on his face that betrayed him instantly. As much as Tsunade was tempted to kick him up and down her office, something stopped her.

It was him. Well it wasn't really him but it looked so real. As Naruto sat on that chair in front of her with that sheepish smile that simply screamed to her he had done something bad she could see another there too. It was like where Naruto sat, there was also another. Due to their larger frame they sort of outlined Naruto but there they sat with that same smile.

Jiraiya.

It was just like when Pain had attacked the village and Naruto had shown up. As she stared at his back he was not standing alone, two figures stood beside him, although taller than him they stood beside him, showing that their views and abilities were so finely attuned to each other that even in death she recognised it.

"You inherited a lot from him you know that?" Tsunade asked softly as she could feel a tear softly beginning to form in her eye. This was a subject she had long since buried but upon seeing his face mirrored perfectly by Naruto like that it caused her to remember. Upon seeing her mood darken Naruto dropped the smile and gave her a soft look, he could see that something was straining to be released.

"What do you mean Baa-Chan?" Naruto asked as he cocked his head to the side slightly giving her one of his soft smiles that just seemed to make Tsunade feel better, she loved how Naruto could do things like that with the simplest of motions. He could change a person's mood with just a word or a movement, it was his greatest ability. With a smile of her own and a soft giggle and hiccup she continued onwards as prompted.

"You are so much like him it's scary, for a second there it felt almost like he was here…" Tsunade said as she left her sentence hanging, thinking about what she had said. Then she smiled, that was one of the reasons that she loved having Naruto around, despite how hard he'd make her life it was what she needed. With him there it was a reminder of Jiraiya's legacy, a reminder that the man she had loved and lost still had something left to give the world. She rested her hands on the table before standing up and moving around to stand in front of Naruto.

"Baa-Chan?" Naruto asked curiously as he stood up to his full height, managing to tower over Tsunade as he stood tall. She had to crane her neck to look up to his face and smiled sadly at him, it was like this with Jiraiya too, if he ever stood tall he was a massive man. She simply looked down from his face and towards his white armour that covered his torso, without much hesitation she hugged into the cold material of the armour, tightening her grip around his waist and holding onto him in an almost vice-like grip.

Naruto didn't know why this was happening but he was not about to voice his confusion. There was something wrong with his Baa-Chan and whatever it was he was quite clearly the one she wanted right now. So with that thought in mind he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. _And after all_ he thought to himself _she done this for me before, it's only fair that I be there for her as she hurts_ he finished thinking to himself as he leaned his head lower onto the top of hers.

They staid like that for a while until Tsunade began moving in his arms and separated her from him, looking up at him with a grateful smile. "Thank you Naruto-Kun, I needed that" Tsunade spoke as a smile graced her features again and Naruto smiled in response, deciding that the addition of 'Kun' to his name was because of him hugging her like that, although he would have done it for most who wanted a hug from him, he wasn't that shy about hugs, if anything he loved them. An absence of them in his childhood meant he loved them now; he even made sure he got hugs from Noma before she went to bed. Tsunade moved from in front of Naruto and sat down on her chair once more, wiping away a tear that threatened to spill.

"Anyway, I called you here for this mission" Tsunade said as she handed him a scroll that had already been opened, by her most likely. Naruto unrolled the scroll and looked at its contents. Seeing what it was he was being asked of in the scroll he simply rolled it up and nodded his head.

"Seems simple enough, all I gotta do is go in take out this missing-nin and then return right?" Naruto asked and Tsunade found it amazing the way he so nonchalantly talked about fighting missing-nins, although given his years ever since returning with Jiraiya it was all he really did. Tsunade was about to nod her head when she remembered something else. Pulling out a separate brown envelope that was attached to the scroll she handed it over.

"This was attached to that scroll, it had your name on it so I never opened it, better make sure it isn't booby trapped though" Tsunade said as she handed the envelope over to Naruto. He looked at it suspiciously for a few seconds before taking it, from what he could tell the contents couldn't be traps but just to be sure he took out detection seal on a parchment from his pocked and placed it seal side up on the envelope. The way the seal worked was to send out chakra that would bounce back through the parchment and into his hand, that way he could tell basically what he was detecting, sounded complicated but it made sense to him.

He found there to be nothing wrong with it so cautiously opened the brown envelope and took out the white parchment that was so delicately placed inside. Reading its contents he found them somewhat confusing. With a shrug of his shoulders her stood up again and stretched.

"What did it say?" Tsunade asked, allowing her nosy side to come through, after all it was a letter specifically for one of her favourite boys, of course she was interested. Naruto looked at her with a smiled before he looked at the letter again, as if to affirm what it said.

"Long and short of it is, I'm going back to Demon Country again to see Princess Shion" Naruto responded honestly as Tsunade quirked an eyebrow in question at such a statement, even Naruto shrugged his shoulders again. "Don't ask me, last time I was there I got rid of some Shinobi that were giving her a hard time, ever since Shion is known to be close to the Golden Flashing Demon things have been fine as far as I've heard" Naruto spoke just as confused as he looked.

"So why do you need to go there again?" Tsunade asked as she too was beginning to get confused with the whole situation, not that she was worried, just confused was all.

"I guess I'll find out when I get there" Naruto said as he walked towards the window of Tsunade's office. A tick mark appeared on her head as she watched what Naruto was preparing to do.

"That's one of the annoying things you picked up from him" Tsunade spoke through clenched teeth about Naruto's using the window instead of the perfectly good door as Naruto responded at first with nothing but a grin that would make Gai and Lee bow in submission.

"Old habits die hard Tsunade-Hime" Naruto said as he disappeared in a flash of golden that had all the paper in her room flying around again. There was that charm that Jiraiya must have passed down to him, through his perverted nature he still had charm at least, one of the few reasons she had loved him. Then with an annoyed thought she let her eyes scan around the room. _Well, now I know how it happened in the first place_.

* * *

><p>Naruto arrived at the front gates within minutes. The Hiraishin was definitely one of the best Jutsu ever, and with his tweaks it made it all the easier. On his back were three scrolls, one which carried all of the necessary gear for long journeys tent, bedroll etc. the second scroll was where he kept most of his ninja equipment like kunai and the such. Then the final scroll was where he kept things of immense importance, he had no use for it now, but he preferred to have it and not need it, rather than need it and not have it.<p>

He reached down to his belt and undid the mask from his waist. It had been a while from he was out with the village walls and it was going to feel exhilarating to be out in the wilds again. As such he couldn't possibly leave Konoha without becoming what had gained him fame throughout the whole world, his mask. Placing it over his face he felt as if he were complete again and at that jumped into the nearest tree and began racing towards his target.

Tress passed by him as he raced onwards. He was not in any real hurry, but he did like to do his missions within a reasonable timeframe. As such he would try to get to where the Shinobi were camped out within the day, deal with them the following day and then head on to Demon country. He was curious as to what could be the problem with Shion, after all like he had said to Tsunade she should have no problems anymore because it was widely known that Shion and her people were protected by him.

With no real answers coming to his mind he simply continued on. He cleared his head for the endeavour before him he had not fought against Shinobi for a few weeks now and he preferred not to be rusty when he did finally face off against another. With this thought affirmed in his mind Naruto applied some of Kyubi's chakra to his system and felt all of his senses and movements increasing. This way he would reach where he was going in at least half the time. He blasted off from the branch he had landed on and disappeared from view, only appearing a couple of hundred metres away and repeating the process again.

* * *

><p>Ino and Noma were currently sitting on the couches that were all situated around the sitting room. Ino sat upon one of the seats, nestled comfortably into one of the corners and was leaning on her fist. Noma was sprawled out over one of the other couches in the room. With her head resting against the arm of her couch the rest of her body was lying across it. Ino smiled at her student, she had worked herself to the bone today. Looking out the large window of the sitting room Ino watched as the orange sky signalled the end of the day, it was hard to believe that Naruto had left a little over 12 hours ago, just thinking about the fact that he was not there slightly stung at Ino but she'd persevere.<p>

"Ino-sensei?" Noma asked from her position over on the other couch, Ino shifted her vision from the window to her student again. Noma had shifted herself slightly and was now leaning on her arm she was giving Ino a relaxed gaze. Ino smiled at her tired student, she was tired too of course but did not make it obvious.

"Hmm?" Ino asked simply as she smiled at her student. Noma was glad her sensei was ok, she thought there might have been something wrong yesterday when she was so ready to leave like she did. The way she was acting now though made Noma feel that her sensei was fine again.

"What was wrong yesterday?" Noma asked cocking her head to the side and catching Ino's attention. Ino knew that this question would be coming but had expected it more from her other two students, or possibly all three when they were together earlier in the day.

"I guess you could see that then?" Ino asked with a slight amount of dry humour in her voice. "I did teach you how to read a person so I guess it only makes sense that you could pick up on something like that" Ino spoke as she mentally kicked herself for being seen through quite so easily. "I must congratulate you on seeing through me like that, not many people could be capable of that" Ino spoke fondly as she caught the gaze of Noma staring at her happily.

"Daddy knew there was something wrong too" Noma said and Ino instantly took notice. Naruto knew that there was something bothering her? Did he know what it was that was bothering her? She didn't want to seem petty if he did know, then again she didn't want to seem submissive either. "But he thought it would be better to let Kakashi-Sensei talk to you first, he said that hopefully you'd be feeling better today and he was right!" Noma spoke of the honest truth; Ino knew it because Noma was not a girl known to have any need to lie. Well, besides her past living conditions she had no reason to lie.

"I guess that's true" Ino said happily as she looked out of the window of Naruto's home again. His house was so large and spacious; she loved the feeling of so much space and knew for a fact she could get used to such a feeling. Not one to get too far ahead of herself though she quickly shook her head of such thoughts, she did however feel the warmth spread over her face.

"Why are you blushing Sensei?" Noma asked innocently which made Ino's eyes widen, she had tried not to be quite so obvious, and perhaps that had failed. As a result Ino turned to her student with a somewhat embarrassed smile; she really could not say how much she hated the way her students were getting better at reading her. As much as she hated it, she could not deny her pride in how quickly her girls were learning. Before Ino could even attempt to stutter a reply to her question she posed yet another. "Is it because you like daddy?" Noma asked, this time much more knowingly, still with that innocent smile. This little girl was evil.

"W…w…what? Of…of course not!" Ino tried desperately to deny such accusations and hoped that Noma could not pick on the rather desperate tone in which she had said that. To her luck Noma didn't seem to pick up on it or if she did, she showed no signs of it.

"That's sad, daddy likes you" Noma said nonchalantly as she herself looked away in a disinterested manner. Ino blushed even harder at that. Naruto liked her too? Was what she wanted and hoped for really coming true? If that was indeed the case then when he returned she knew exactly what she was going to do.

"Did…Did he say that?" Ino asked nervously. She could not believe just how much such a simple thing was affecting her. She was a Kunoichi who had face enemy ninja and all manner of evil in the world, as far as to take part in the Fourth Shinobi War. Yet when it came to something as simple as her feelings for Naruto, she was a nervous wreck. Noma looked away from the window she had been looking out of with a smile on her face.

"No, but you just admitted that you like daddy" Noma spoke once again in her innocent voice and Ino felt the back of her head hitting the top of the couch. She had been played expertly by her student! She really was getting good.

"Noma-Chan, you really are mean" Ino complained as she held a hand to her head and covered her eyes, Noma simply giggled over where she was sitting. The way that her sensei was acting was almost like she and her teammates used to swoon over the cute boy in their academy class. Kira Inuzuka, he was the cutest in the entire class, the fact that he had a puppy with him all the time only added to that.

"I'm not mean sensei, you just set yourself up" Noma answered softly to which Ino looked at her student then let loose a chuckle while shaking her head and finally relaxing back into her chair.

"I guess you're right Noma-Chan, you're learning much more than Jutsu from Naruto-kun that's for sure" Ino joked while looking at the ceiling; Noma simply looked over to her sensei who had a content look on her face. Noma liked to see that look on her face, besides it proving her point to a greater extent, it was also nice to see her sensei smiling, which had happened one hell of a lot more ever since Naruto returned. With a content smile Noma looked out the window once again. There were the last few strands of red dancing over the night sky and painting what could be seen of Konoha in a beautiful light.

* * *

><p>Naruto had reached his destination before the night was out. He landed upon a branch that overlooked a large expanse of land. The land was like a bowl, an open area that was surrounded mostly by high cliffs. Naruto could not understand why there were Shinobi that would willingly put them at a disadvantage. In the centre of the bowl was the campground of the supposed renegade Shinobi. From what little Naruto could get from the mission scroll he knew that the Shinobi had at least some form of backing, hence the campground of tents, indicating the entourage that they had around them. This clearly meant that they did not feel safe enough to look after themselves.<p>

Naruto scrutinized the security of the grounds too, from here he could see that their security was actually really tight, there were at least twenty-odd men on patrol at this time and it was at least midnight at that. Then he was left with a dilemma. Was he to go in with a flashy entrance or was he to go in with subtlety? To answer his question he quickly brought out two shadow clones.

"Okay you two play a game of Jan-Ken-Po, you're flashy entrance and you're subtle, winner decides what I do" Naruto said to them as he indicated which clone was which approach. Both nodded their heads and turned to each other. There was a heated staring contest as they brought their fists together and placed them in front of them. Then they proceeded to pound their fists into their other hand and on the third punch they then revealed their results.

Flashy had rock while Subtle had paper. The subtle clone grinned victoriously at the flashy one, while his counterpart merely looked at him in evident annoyance. "Aww, that's not the outcome I was hoping for" Naruto complained causing the two clones to look at him. the flashy clone caught on quickly and punched his counterpart in the head before they knew what had hit them. The subtle clone disappeared into smoke as the flashy clone looked at Naruto with a grin that he returned. "Much more like it, I haven't had much fun lately and it'll be nice to let loose for once in a while" Naruto said as he stretched and prepared himself.

"The question now is… how should I go about doing it?" Naruto asked himself as he looked down at the campground. His attention was averted however when he saw a clone of his dancing about with its hand in the air. Naruto felt a sweat drop falling down the back of his head at the antics of his clone, after all these years his clones were still a little… different from him. then again perhaps they were just like him. "Yeah?" Naruto asked his clone as they stopped dancing about.

"What about Shinra Tensei?" the clone asked to which Naruto considered the possibility. True that would get the job done, if he utilised it correctly he knew that he could destroy entire areas of ground with an especially strong one. "Nah, too quick, I wanna fight some of them before finishing them off" Naruto responded to which the clone looked disheartened for a second before looking up again with renewed vigour.

"The YamiRaseangan?" the clone asked and Naruto had a feeling that under the mask the clone had its eyebrow raised in question. This was another good one for getting a lot of damage done in a short amount of time, yet just like Shinra Tensei it destroyed too much at the one time. "The same again, far too quick" Naruto responded to the hopeful clone. The clone threw its hands up in the air in defeat.

"Fine then! Why don't you just go running in with Chidori then!" the clone called out irritably and sarcastically as it turned away from the real Naruto. When it never heard anything from the real Naruto it turned to see Naruto standing in the 'nice guy' pose giving him the thumbs up. "I would have gone with the Shinra Tensei or YamiRasengan but whatever" the clone pointed out before sighing and poofing out of existence.

Naruto grinned under his mask. His entrance was going to be flashy and at the same time, they would never know what had hit them.

* * *

><p>Three guards were doing their rounds through the alleyway of tents in their campground. They walked in an arrowhead formation with one at the front and two behind him. The leader of the group was a medium sized man with normal enough clothing, besides the weapon upon his back and the few throwing knives attached to his sleeve.<p>

Things were going smoothly, there were no disturbances in the campground and there appeared to be no fights or whatnot happening at the moment, although in a bandit camp that was never too far away from happening. The silence was suddenly interrupted by the sound of thunder cracking and then the sound of thousands of bird chirping at once. Realising that the sound was coming from behind him the leader of the group spun around and found the source of the noise.

What greeted him was the sight of a man with his hands impaled through the two men that had been walking behind him only moments before. The man's head was down as if he were looking at the ground and all the leader could tell was that the man had unruly blond hair. Eventually however the man looked up and stood to his full height, which was rather tall the leader had to admit. With the assailant standing up the leader could see that they wore white armour over their torso alongside shoulder guards, a white cloak and mostly black attire for the rest of his body.

The leader took in his appearance and then the fact that his two followers were still impaled upon his hands and turned on the spot. "INTRUDER!" the man roared into the campground and at that instant there was a cacophony of noise as people got out of their beds or sleeping sacks and prepared to confront the new intruder. The leader turned to where the intruder was still standing and watched as he threw both bodies from his hands, making them land in heaps on the ground.

The leader started to move away from the intruder who had started to walk slowly towards him. What the leader did not expect was for the rock behind him to get in his way and catch his foot on it. He fell to the ground and stared up at the imposing figure of the intruder, truly this was a man of much power, and the very way he walked meant he was a force to be reckoned with. The intruder drew back their hand and suddenly there was lightning dancing all over it, had the leader not guessed the intruders intent he might have found the spectacle something fascinating.

Naruto drove the Chidori right into the man's heart, he could see the fear etched onto the man's face and took some pity on him, and the strike to the heart would kill him instantly and pretty painlessly. As Naruto retracted his hand from the man's heart he looked up to see that the first of his adversaries had made it to his location, there was a group of at least twenty men opposing him now, this must be the sentries. Being on guard and already battle-ready it made sense that they would get there first, although he expected them to come in smaller groups in made no difference to him.

Naruto turned to those assembled before him. They had a variety of weapons pointed at him, from swords to spears they were all arrayed before him, just waiting to attack. Naruto rolled his shoulders as he looked at them, this could prove to be some fun. Naruto took a step towards the men and they all instinctively took a step back. With that simple move Naruto was already smirking under his mask, they were all terrified of him.

One brave or possibly stupid man broke from the group and raised his sword high above his head. He ran towards Naruto and jumped into the air, bringing his sword down to where Naruto's head currently was. Naruto had to give the guy credit, he had guts, but guts get you killed. Naruto had already managed to pick out one of his father's special kunai and threw it to his right hand, blocking the sword swipe before any damage could be done.

"Brave move, but a stupid one at that" Naruto said to the man as his face registered in fear what Naruto meant. Naruto forced upwards against his assailant and caused the man's arms to fly into the air, before the man could get his bearings back Naruto had spun around and dropped down low and brought his heel around, catching the man in his leg. Naruto was not yet done as when he came around a full 360 degrees he then stabbed his kunai into the throat of the offending man.

Before he was even able to stand straight again there were three upon him. There were two spear thrusts and a sword slash directed at his back. Without even turning around Naruto brought his hands together before calling out "Shinra Tensei" causing both his eyes to change and the three who had been close to landing hits on him to fall back confused. Naruto quickly disposed of them by throwing three normal kunai at them and catching one in the forehead, one in the eye and the third one only catching their ear. The man had to time to scream in pain as a fourth kunai was thrown right into his throat.

Naruto stood up again and could see that the rest of the group were simply standing there in either amazement or fear, whichever one it was he could not pick out. As he looked now he could see his earlier estimation of twenty soldiers was correct as there were only fourteen of them left now, the first three being taken out quickly and those other three just now. Naruto stared at his opponents for a second before he went through the necessary hand signs and at that moment both of his hands were covered in the roiling energies of lightning.

Without missing a beat Naruto sprinted towards the group of enemies with lines of lightning touching the ground as he ran, his eyes were blazing with light under his mask as he met the lines of his enemies and started to weave around their attacks and quickly deal killing blows to each person before moving onto the other.

To anyone who watched it would look like a dance of death as Naruto danced in amongst the group of men, once he passed them they fell to the ground, dead. Once Naruto met the final man and stuck his Chidori through his heart he let the man fall to the ground before getting the feeling that someone was watching him. Turning around Naruto came face to face with what almost looked like an army of men against him.

"Well, the amount of tents doesn't quite add up to the amount of men here but I'm not going to complain, I got a job to do so…" Naruto began before he disappeared in a golden flash and the sound of a thunderclap only to reappear right in front of one of the men in the large army. "… Come at me with all you've got!" Naruto yelled before he stabbed his father's special kunai into the man's throat and prepared for the others to make their move.

"Get him!" they all roared in unison.

* * *

><p><em>Well here is my update. I do apologise for its lateness but I have been somewhat distracted by other things if you know what I mean and never really felt up to it. here is your chapter however and I hope that you enjoyed it, next chapter should hopefully be good, as always please leave a review and tell me what you think, that's all for now until next time then =] - Varrukh<em>


	14. Chapter 14 Golden Flashing Demon

Tetsuma had long ago heard the last pained cries of his men die out as they met their ends. He knew that he did not have long before whoever it was that had killed them would reveal themselves to him and try to take his life. He wished that he could move faster but he was still bound by the laws of the human body and could only go at his own pace. He scrambled to try and get together all of the most incriminating evidence that he had, namely names of accomplices and things that are best left unknown.

He heard the sound of the tent flaps being moved and instantly turned to them, finding them to be simply blowing in the wind. Satisfied that the only cause for it was the wind Tetsuma resumed his business of retrieving the most incriminating of all his evidence.

"You know, when I got the mission saying that I would be taking out a missing-nin I got it in my head that I might be meeting with an impressive Shinobi" a voice called out from behind Tetsuma and upon spinning around once again he came face to face with his enemy. An imposing figure that stood tall over him. The person wore white chest armour with shoulder guards, besides those most of the other clothing was black. Save the white cape that ended in orange flames. Tetsuma found that the scariest things were the mask and the light coming from the eyeholes of said mask.

"Akuma!" Tetsuma spoke in fear as he began to back away. He had heard all about this ninja, the one who could take on the wielders of the Sharingan and beat them. He could not understand why such a high calibre of Shinobi was after him, he was not exactly causing any trouble and the men that he had with him were only for safety reasons because alone he was defenceless. It was the whole reason he was a missing-nin was because of how weak he was and the fact that he kept on blacking out didn't help him too much either.

"People know my name without me even having to write it, makes things easier I guess" The man behind the mask spoke almost amused. Tetsuma simply stared at him in fear, he was going to die that was for sure but he had no idea why it was that he had to die.

"Why?" he asked out of desperation. The man before him cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Why are you here?" Tetsuma finished in desperation as he fell to the ground and tried his hardest to get away from the hunter-nin that was here to kill him. he had already taken care of the hundred or so men that followed him so all that was left was for the man to kill him and it was all over.

"That's what I'm confused about too, from what I can see you're barely a danger to yourself far less anyone else" Naruto spoke again as he looked over the man his eyes turning back into their cerulean blue colour. The man seemed to exhale his breath in relief as Naruto's confusion shone through, yet he also felt light-headed at that moment and felt the familiar darkness taking over his vision.

From behind him Naruto could hear as Tetsuma got back onto his feet again and tried to quietly pull out a kunai to lodge into his back. Naruto feigned ignorance to such sounds and looked around the tent for anything of worthwhile evidence. "I wondered when you would truly show yourself Tetsuma Kuroha… you kept me waiting" Naruto spoke in an amused tone as he turned on the spot and deflected a kunai that was shooting straight for his spine.

"Well first of all I had to try and break through the defences of my weaker psyche, who would have thought the weaker of my personalities would be so hard to break through?" Tetsuma asked rhetorically as Naruto was left to try and figure out what Tetsuma had just said to him.

"Right, I gotta say, none of what you said there made any sense to me" Naruto admitted as he stood opposite his opponent with his kunai ready for an attack. Tetsuma could not help but sweat drop despite the situation. The man had made himself out to be quite the intimidating persona, yet he had almost shattered it with that show. "However, I'm not here to understand you, I'm here to either kill or bring you in" Naruto spoke in a serious tone once again and Tetsuma found himself taking the man before him seriously again.

"That's alright then, I have wanted to meet the killer of my brother for a while now" Tetsuma spoke casually as even a smile managed to find its way onto his face. Naruto, having met all kinds of Shinobi over the last 6 years found no surprise in the way he acted. Some men just coped with death in strange ways, that or he was simply just strange himself. Naruto was none too bothered, it all boiled down to the same thing in the end, with the death or capture of him.

"In that case I apologise for keeping you waiting…" Naruto said as he started to twirl the kunai in his hand."…If you had perhaps called me out I would have met you sooner" Naruto finished as he stopped twirling the kunai in his hand and gripped it tightly, prepared for a sudden movement of his enemy.

"Indeed that may be true, yet I will take what I have gotten" Tetsuma admitted with a simple shrug of his shoulders. "After all…" Tetsuma started before he had disappeared from his position in front of Naruto and from any of Naruto's senses, only momentarily. Naruto heard the swishing that indicated Tetsuma reappearing behind him and span around quickly with his fist ready and implanted his fist into the stomach of his opponent.

Tetsuma smirked before he completely disappeared into nothing, being nothing more than a mirage. "Bunshin?" Naruto asked himself quietly before he heard soft snickering behind him and turned around to see that Tetsuma had not even moved from his initial position and was simply standing with his arms crossed. "…It would appear that you are surprisingly easy to fool, I would have thought that the man who had come to be known as the Golden Flashing Demon might have been more impressive than you" Tetsuma finished as he gave a rather disappointed look at Naruto.

"I believe the mistake is yours for believing that I would not have some form of back-up" Naruto responded with a smile as from the shadows a shadow clone appeared and grabbed Tetsuma. With a face that was contorted in shock Tetsuma looked at Naruto with a grin on his face before he erupted into flames. Or to be precise his form was covered in a thin layer of flames that had Naruto's clone taking damage and as such dispelling.

"Nice trick, but I won't let you catch me out that easily Akuma" Tetsuma responded with his grin still on his face. The flames that had coated his form died down and eventually receded into nothing. With the flames gone Tetsuma cracked his neck and rubbed at it absentmindedly as his focus was on Naruto who was also staring back at him. "Guess I'm going to have to be the one to start again aren't I?" Tetsuma asked rhetorically. He knew why this was, he would be a fool if he didn't, and his opponent wanted him to make the first move so it could be countered.

Caring little for what his enemy decided to do Tetsuma sprinted forward and done a somersault over his foe, narrowly avoiding a kunai that ripped through the roof of his tent. As soon as his feet touched the ground Tetsuma leapt once more, right through the entrance flaps of his tent. Whilst in mid-air he twisted around to see the faceless mask of his opponent looking at him. Going through the necessary hand signs Tetsuma then created a circle around his mouth with his index finger and thumb "Fire Release: Grand Blazing Inferno!" Tetsuma called out in his mind as from his mouth a huge plume of flames erupted and completely incinerated the tent that his enemy stood within, alongside documents of relevant danger if exposed to the wrong people.

Tetsuma landed on his back but he cared little about that, the danger had been taken care of, and his alter-ego had gotten so scared of the man when he first saw him. What was there to be scared of really? Tetsuma got up off of the ground and looked at the tent which burned with a great deal of ferocity, looking around Tetsuma knew that it was only a matter of time before the other tents caught fire too and ignited the entire area. Perhaps it was for the best, it would erase any evidence of him being there. He barely even noticed the bodies all around him that had been killed in various ways, although not one of them too brutal.

He was prepared to move off if it had not been for the sudden roar that he heard from behind him. "Shinra Tensei!" a thunderous voice roared out to which Tetsuma found his attention once again being dragged. There was that same man with his arms outstretched and a bubble of invisible energy exploding outwards from him, not only that but the flames that had been around him were being blasted out too.

"I had rather hoped that you would not survive that one" Tetsuma spoke dully as his enemy dropped his arms to his side again and revealed that hi clothing was slightly singed and that his mask had broken over the left side of the face.

"I don't know why I bothered with a mask, it makes my face heat up and the damn thing breaks too easily" Naruto complained out loud at which Tetsuma visibly sweat dropped once again. Was the guy for real, he does something that is unbelievable and some would saw amazing and then ruins it by acting almost childishly.

"I think I have drawn this out long enough" Naruto droned out as his attention was then directed towards the man before him. Tetsuma felt his blood running cold. He had faced off against powerful Shinobi in the past and he had always been able to take them, even if he could not win his way of escape was his greatest Jutsu, the Grand Blazing Inferno. The man before him was vastly powerful and he knew that right from the start, which was why he had used his Jutsu so early on, he wanted to escape. Now he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"Don't get too far ahead of yourself Akuma, you may have survived that Jutsu but it does not mean that you have won yet" Tetsuma spoke as he finally got back onto his feet, his chakra was at a dangerously low level, it was usually on these low levels of chakra that he managed to run and no more. He was now however going to have to waste some of it to provide a better distraction in order to get away from here. Tetsuma ran through some hand signs, though he knew something was wrong the moment he started going through them.

His hands became heavy and fell to his side. He felt a sharp pain shooting through his body as he looked directly ahead of himself once again. His adversary no longer stood there, all the remained was an afterimage that slowly faded. As the image disappeared he noticed where the pain was coming from. He looked down and could see that there was a hand protruding from his left breast, with a pained groan Tetsuma felt the hand being slowly dislodged from his insides and his body swiftly moving towards the floor.

His body hit the ground with a thud as his vision flashed for the barest of seconds before it came back again. Tetsuma looked up at the man opposite him and felt a smile spreading over his features.

"I guess my alter-ego got out again did he?" Tetsuma groaned out and was pleasantly surprised when the blond haired man actually looked like he had not expected Tetsuma to say anything. "If the way my body feels is anything to go by, then my guess is that he did" Tetsuma continued as a pained laugh escaped his mouth before he groaned in evident pain.

Naruto was astonished that the man was able to talk, far beyond the fact that he was still alive and probably barely hanging on. Either the man had as strong willpower as he, or he had botched his lethal blow to the man. "How can you still talk? By all rights you should be dead" Naruto spoke softly to his enemy. Tetsuma only smiled back in sad recognition.

"Worry not Akuma, my life is almost at its end, you have made sure of that" Tetsuma answered back. He coughed loudly after answering and had Naruto honestly feeling bad about what he had done, the man was suffering, this was not the way he liked to kill at all, he hated killing but when he had to he preferred to do it quickly.

"I never meant there to be this much pain, I doubt if you had this much willpower if you could even still be alive" Naruto spoke sounding extremely solemn. Tetsuma looked at Naruto with an incredulous look, was the man who had just dealt the killing blow to him seriously apologising?

"Well I guess I should go to my grave with some amount of pride…" Tetsuma spoke as his voice became weak and Naruto looked directly at the face of Tetsuma, seeing a weak smile on his face. "… I mean after all, they did send the legendary Golden Flashing Demon after me, I almost feel flattered" Tetsuma finished as his voice hit its lowest level and Naruto found himself staring in awe at the man, he had definitely held on well after the blow he had just taken.

"I wouldn't, I have had to kill you and you are about to die, where is the flattery in that?" Naruto asked slightly losing his composure a bit, the way this man spoke and what Naruto had seen was hitting very close to home and Naruto didn't like it. Tetsuma slightly winced at the way in which Naruto's voice had risen in, anger perhaps?

"I hold no flattery over the fact I am about to pass away. What I hold pride in is that it took one of the most renowned Shinobi the world over to come after me, the man who could take on those who possessed the Sharingan. If I am to die then I wish to at least see the bright side in it, the part where it doesn't seem so bad" Tetsuma spoke until his breathing was becoming laboured, Naruto caught himself almost about to try and help the man. What was he doing? It was an enemy before him, not a friend. Or was it?

This man before him held a secret, a darkness within his body. Something that he might have absolutely no control over, Naruto could see it when he first saw the man the moment he entered the tent, he was by no means dangerous. He may have been related to Haruza Kuroha but he seemed nothing like the man. His alter-ego however seemed to be his problem, it was much more aggressive and assertive than he was and as such was not afraid to attack on sight like he had. At first Naruto had thought that Tetsuma had simply made himself appear to be weak willed and inexperienced, yet as they fought he could almost feel that it was an entirely different person.

"I know what it was like to have something in you that you couldn't control" Naruto began as Tetsuma raised his eyebrows in surprise, was the man who defeated him really going to keep on talking instead of finishing him? "I was, no, I am a creature in control of the most frightful power in the world, I was despised because of it, my inability to control it scared those I cared about" Naruto continued as he moved over to where Tetsuma was prone on the ground. Upon reaching him Naruto leant down and eventually sat on the ground. "I truly think I can understand what you have gone through in life…" Naruto said as Tetsuma looked directly up to Naruto's exposed face now, surprised to see confusion as well as sorrow in his eyes.

"oh?" was all Tetsuma could muster at that time, his vision was fading and his mind was slowly shutting down, he knew he had barely moments before the rest of his body followed suit and shut down as well.

"I am a Jinchuriki, I know what it is like to grow up alone, to feel alienated, you were not alone in this world" Naruto spoke softly and strongly at the same time. Tetsuma had to squint slightly to look up at Naruto who was currently looking off into the distance.

"Why are you telling me all of this, is it not rather meaningless to tell an enemy this kind of thing as he dies?" Tetsuma asked trying not to sound too frustrated; he simply could not understand this man.

"I guess I just wanted you to know that there was someone who understood your pain, so that it would be the happy point of your death instead of who I am. I want you to die happy knowing that there was someone who at least understands you" Naruto answered softly as Tetsuma found himself completely and utterly stupefied. This man had shown him the kindest gesture anyone had ever spared him. Sparing the time to at least try and understand him.

"Heh, and people called you a demon…" Tetsuma struggled out and Naruto could see that he was on the precipice of death, he was literally knocking at its door, and there was only his own stubbornness that was keeping him there. He was smiling though and before he finally lay down to his eternal rest he gave one last response to Naruto. "Thank you" he whispered before his body became limp on the ground, at peace.

Naruto didn't move for a long time, he simply stared at the prone form of the man that had just left the mortal realm. The man he had just killed knew him on a level that very few ever managed to, only the previous Jinchuriki and Sasuke would have otherwise been able to understand him.

Naruto smiled to himself, even though he had years ago found out he was no longer alone, it was nice to know that he at least understood someone and made their passing into the next life bearable, even if he was the one to perform such an act. With that affirmed in his mind he looked around the campsite that he was standing in. Due to his Shinra Tensei all of the flames had been forced outwards from him and as such had spread to the surrounding tents. With one last glance Naruto left the area in a swift movement and started heading towards Demon Country, if he was lucky he would only need to walk for about a day or so.

* * *

><p><em><strong>With Ino<strong>_

Ino was happy today. Her team had performed admirably today. They had completed all of the D-ranked missions without any complaints and were successful in all missions; all of her girls were even able to capture the infamous Tora the cat. They were currently making their way towards the Hokage tower to report a mission complete after walking some of the dogs for some villagers, tedious work maybe but it had to be done.

They reached the door to the Hokage's office and Ino knocked on it before waiting on a reply. "Come in" after which Ino and her squad complied and pushed open the door into the office. What surprised them was who was currently in the office with Tsunade. They had expected Kakashi to be there because he was going to be Hokage soon and had to know what to do and such. They did not expect to see Lee, Neji and Tenten in the room with the Hokage, standing opposite her, just like they used to when they were a Genin team.

"You may use the rest of today to prepare, you leave tomorrow, good luck" Tsunade said to them and they all nodded their heads and made curt bows to her before turning around and finding Ino with her team before them. They all found smiles coming onto their faces, even Neji. This was the Genin team that was fast becoming one of the best in Konoha and their sensei was fast accumulating gossip about her, mostly to do with the closeness that she seemed to share with a golden haired idol.

"Hey guys" Ino spoke happily to the three before her, it had been a while since all of those from the rookie 11 had really gotten together, once they had all been promoted to Jonin they just didn't have the time to meet up anymore, that didn't mean that they never got together, it was just exceedingly hard to get a good time for all.

"Hello Ino-san" Lee answered back with a relaxed smile. Ino still could not believe that this somewhat composed Shinobi Jonin before her had once been one of the two most exuberant men in the entire village at one time. It was nice to see him this calm and at the same time unnerving, it was like he was a completely different person, though after the war some people did change, after all, look at Naruto.

"Hello Ino-san" Neji spoke next with a smile, not quite Naruto calibre but it was a pleasant smile. That was something she would never have even dreamed of seeing in the past on the stoic Hyuga's face. It seemed that being on a team with an exuberant opposite had changed him slightly, he had helped Lee calm down and Lee had helped him lighten up.

"Hi Ino-Chan" Tenten said with a truly happy smile on her face which Ino mirrored on her own face. Tenten had always been a rather nice girl to her; even during the time that they had left the Academy up until the point that they became Jonin Tenten had always been nice to her. She had always offered a helping hand in advice; they had been on a few missions together too and had helped each other whenever they could.

"Do you guys have some sort of mission?" Ino asked curiously, she knew they could not explain the content of their mission but thought she might just ask anyway, after all, it was just idle conversation.

"Yeah though it shouldn't take too long, especially with all three of us" Tenten explained to which Lee and Neji smiled to affirm what their teammate had said. If it was a mission that required the three of them to work in a team again then it meant it had to be important so they would not get too far ahead of themselves.

"Okay then, good luck" Ino said happily as she moved out of the way of the other three and allowed them the space to pass, Neji looked at her thankfully while Lee smiled once again and Tenten nodded her head. Kyoki, Noma and Hiku followed what their sensei had done and shifted to the side and watched as some of the most powerful Shinobi in the village walked past them. Once Lee and Neji had left Tenten was about to leave before she leaned over to Ino and whispered into her ear. "You'll have to tell me how you bagged Naruto-Kun, you're staying at his house and it is the talk of the village" Tenten spoke softly and sniggered slightly at the flustered look that had taken over Ino's face, she then followed her teammates out of the room and closed the door behind her.

She turned her attention towards the Hokage again and to the man standing behind her. Ino was shocked to see that Kakashi was smiling widely at something and she hoped that he had not heard what Tenten had said, she didn't want to deal with the innuendos in front of her team.

"We have completed our mission Tsunade-Sama, the clients were very happy with the outcome of the mission" Ino informed Tsunade who looked at her with a happy smile and why wouldn't she? All her paperwork was done for once and it was almost the end of the day, of course she would be happy with that.

"That is good Ino; I am sorry to inform you that there are no more missions for today so I think you can all go home and have a well-deserved rest" Tsunade responded with a smile and Kakashi could have sworn that he saw the looks of surprise crossing over the three young girl's faces when they saw their Hokage acting so nicely. She had clearly built up a reputation. "You are all dismissed" Tsunade spoke eventually to which Ino and her team nodded their head to and bowed before turning away again, preparing to leave.

They were only a step away from the Hokage desk when they heard the pop that would signify a summoned creature being brought into the Hokage office. Ino turned to see that a small toad was suddenly sitting upon Tsunade's desk. Tsunade and Kakashi were looking at it in surprise, not exactly expecting a toad summon to suddenly appear like that without any warning. Ino only knew of one person alive who could summon toads and since that person was away and she had already began to miss him after one day she found her interest reaching new peaks. The toad was probably about the size of someone's head and was red with black markings. It turned to Tsunade fist before it opened its mouth and spoke.

"Tsunade-Sama, Naruto-Bro sent me here to inform you that he has completed his mission and is currently heading towards Demon Country and to Lady Shion's palace" the small toad spoke in a voice befitting of his size, the kind of voice that had all of the girls on Ino's team and even she herself wanting to pick the toad up, hug it and take it home with them. Tsunade seemed momentarily surprised, mainly by the sudden appearance of the toad but after hearing the message she smiled and nodded her head.

"Very well, thank you" Tsunade replied with a curt smile that the small toad nodded to before disappearing in the signature smoke that showed they had returned to Mt Myokobu. Ino could see that the shock that was on Kakashi's face had not so much disappeared but changed to a somewhat surprised and unexpected look.

"What's wrong Kakashi-Sensei?" Hiku asked suddenly which surprised all in the room, it had been a while since Hiku had said anything and her voice coming out so suddenly and addressing Kakashi no less was a pleasant surprise. That did not make the information Kakashi had been given any easier to relay.

There was only one reason that Kakashi could think of that Naruto really had to be going to Demon Country to see Shion. To be put simply if it was what he believed it to be then there were either two scenarios that he could see as the outcome of his return to the village and one of those outcomes involved Naruto returning with company.

"Ah, nothing I just never expected Naruto to give us a status report" Kakashi lied to the girls before him, he hated doing it but he didn't want to bring it up in front of the young girls. If at all possible he would have preferred to get Ino alone to0 explain what the possible outcomes of Naruto's return may have. The excuse seemed to work for the young girls save Noma but he could see Ino giving him a suspicious look that seemed to scream at him 'you're lying'.

"Well, let's go girls we have to get home and get ready for bed, it will be a day of training tomorrow" Ino said to her little students who all turned to her with stars in their eyes.

"Do you mean it sensei?" Kyoki asked excitedly which was reflected in the expressions of Hiku and Noma. They all stood staring at her with those large hopeful eyes and Ino felt a slight amount of ire building up in her.

"Of course I do, we have to get you trained up for the Chunin exams don't we?" Ino asked while in her mind she internally went off her rocker screaming things like. 'Damn you Naruto, they're taking after you! I'm their sensei Damnit! They should be taking after me' Ino mentally complained as the three girls screamed in joy and hugged into her, surprising her slightly. That was until she regained her bearings and smiled down at the girls hugging her, they were definitely taking after him now, what she could not understand was why.

"Last one home has to buy dinner" Ino warned and was surprised when there were three girls one moment and then three plumes of smoke the next. "Hey! No fair!" Ino shouted after her students before she tore out of the office herself towards the Namikaze estate, making sure to close the door behind her before she then continued to race after the three girls.

* * *

><p>"Well then Kakashi, feel like telling me what has you so quiet?" Kakashi heard from in front of him and found Tsunade turned around and looking up at him with those piercing amber eyes that seemed to demand him to give up what he knew.<p>

"If it is what I think it is, then let's just say that things between Naruto and Ino might become a bit strained" Kakashi answered back as he looked out of the massive window behind the Hokage's desk. He looked out over the village that was going to be his duty to protect in less than a few months' time; it was slightly intimidating to be honest. "Not only that but I think that it could possibly deal a great amount of emotional pain to Ino" Kakashi finished as he spotted the flicker of purple that he knew was Ino as she chased after the three flickers in front of her.

"Why? What is going on Kakashi?" Tsunade asked getting irked that her successor was talking in riddles and not giving her a straight answer, how she hated vague people. Jiraiya had always been so straightforward and perhaps that was one of the reasons she loved him and also the reason she was afraid to admit to it. Kakashi though, he could be very vague sometimes and though she admitted she did not hate Kakashi, it annoyed her. She knew how Ino felt about Naruto but could not understand why going to meet a priestess would affect either party.

"It is to do with the mission you asked us to do 6 years ago, you know the mission that involved Priestess Shion?" Kakashi asked as he directed his attention back upon Tsunade as she went over her memories and finally did indeed remember about the mission she had sent Team Kakashi on. She nodded her head to Kakashi who continued on with his story that Tsunade could tell was just going to be full of strange situations and misunderstandings, that's just the way Naruto was.

"Well in short after Naruto had rescued Lady Shion she asked if he would help her bring about the next generation of Priestess' to which he happily agreed" Kakashi finished while Tsunade's jaw was hitting her desk, Kakashi had to stop himself from laughing at her or commenting about flies going into her mouth. He simply waited for her to come back to her senses before continuing on.

"Let me guess, he thought she meant bring them up from children" Tsunade asked as she finally regained her senses enough to work out the mind of the younger Naruto. If it was not her own deductive skills, then the smile on Kakashi's face spelled it all out for her. She let out a long sigh at the simplicity of her grandson; he truly was too nice for his own good back then.

"I think so yes" Kakashi answered with an eye smile and Tsunade felt her eyes rolling. It made sense, Naruto would happily agree to something like that, it was just in his character, he was kind natured and was not one to lie, if he made a promise then he would follow through on that promise. That however threw up warning signs in Tsunade's head.

"Do you think he will still go through with it even if he finds out what it means?" Tsunade asked even though she knew the answer to that question. She actually didn't know why she had asked because the answer was basically screaming right back at her anyway. Kakashi looked at her without saying anything and she knew he was giving her an 'honestly?' kind of look.

"Of course, if he has not already done so, then I think he will still go through with it, he never goes back on his word. That is the phrase he has lived his life by and I don't see it changing any time soon" Kakashi answered to which Tsunade felt a slight tinge of pity for the platinum haired woman that had only just left them.

"I feel sorry for that girl, she has to fall in love with the one man who is the most wanted in the world" Tsunade spoke mostly to herself but did not miss the way that Kakashi's eye flashed in surprise at what she had said. "You think I didn't know? I've been in the game long enough to know when a girl is in love with someone and that girl is in love, hook, line and sinker" Tsunade finished as Kakashi could only look on in mystified surprise.

"I know what you mean, I had to cheer her up about it only a few days ago, she worried about her standing against women the likes of the Mizukage" Kakashi spoke and Tsunade smiled sadly, she had even worse news for Ino if that was the case.

"I see, well I wish the girl luck, she has looked after him well and you know Naruto, he will view her as one of his closest companions and who knows he might even see how she feels and reciprocate" Tsunade said sounding almost hopeful. It was so that Naruto would be happy but also so that one of the Kunoichi who had taken a lot out of their time to look after him at least got a reward she would love.

"I hope so too Hokage-Sama, I hope so too" Kakashi said as he once again found his attention averting to the village. Tsunade's eyes followed his, trying to figure out what it was that he was looking at.

"What do you even look at when you look out that window?" Tsunade asked finally having enough of seeing her successor staring off into space without even sparing the knowledge of what he was looking at.

"I look at the village, from here I can see its past and its future, from here I can feel the mood of the village" Kakashi said as Tsunade raised her eyebrow in suspicion at his answer, she would have believed it if she had ever felt that way when she looked out that window, yet she never had.

"You sure that it's not because you think you look cool when you do it?" Tsunade asked with a hint of humour to her voice at which Kakashi turned around with an eye smile at her.

"Who knows?" was all he said in reply before he looked out of the window again, this time Tsunade with a smile accompanied him in looking out of the large window, she missed when she and Jiraiya could sometimes just spend an evening in the office and watch as the sun settled over the sleepy village as night fell in. How she truly missed that man now.

"I hope that Naruto will be alright" Tsunade said quietly to which Kakashi raised his eyebrow at.

"I wouldn't worry about Naruto Tsunade-Sama; I'm pretty sure that wherever he is now he is perfectly fine" Kakashi spoke softly as he stared out of the window.

* * *

><p><em><strong>With Naruto<strong>_

Said man was currently standing on a tree branch overlooking the palace that Shion was living in. his grip on the tree trunk was in danger of snapping the tree where he stood at that moment and time though. The palace that he had come to was at that moment and time under attack, there were pained screams all over and flames and explosions ripping through the entire palace. Naruto could feel his anger rising. He had been tricked! Tetsuma had made it out that there was only his one camp while there was yet another, the very one that was attacking the palace at that moment and time.

In short he had been deceived and he felt a heavy weight in his heart at that, since he had been tricked it had meant that there were deaths on his hands now. These were deaths that he had never intended. They were deaths of those important to him. it was as if this suddenly clicked in his head and in that instant his body was covered in magnificent golden light, it covered the entirety of his body and also sprouted nine tails from his lower back. His eyes had changed to their concentric purple circle eyes with nine tomoe each and he tipped his head back to roar right at the sky.

He blasted off of the tree he was standing on, completely destroying the area he had stood upon. He flew over the gap between the tree and the palace walls, only using the wall as a vaulting post that he then leapt over and descended down towards a duo of bandits that were running below him. The men did not know what had hit them until each were completely crushed under the weight of massive balls of compressed chakra. Naruto wasted no time before standing upright again and disappearing in an explosion of golden light towards the centre of the palace.

Man upon man fell to the fury incarnate that was Naruto. There was simply no stopping him; even men who raised their weapons in a show of force could not hold back the demon that had been unleashed upon them. He truly did live up to his name as the Golden Flashing Demon as he tore through all that stood before him, if it was not for the line of death that followed him then the show might actually have been viewed as almost beautiful. Naruto tore through the men until he had finally come upon the courtyard of the palace, where he looked at it in pained realisation. The entire structure was on fire.

Naruto only stared at it for barely a few seconds until he heard the cries of someone still inside the building. He did not even waste another second as he tore across the courtyard, kicking up rubble and debris all around the track he had moved across. He blasted through the front doors of the building to hear the screams starting to come from his far left, without even thinking about it Naruto darted through the crumbling building in the direction of the screaming victim.

He ran until he came to another set of double doors which he wasted no time in getting through as well. He found himself in a very familiar bedroom, only this time it was completely ablaze with the fire that was raging all around. Upon the bed Naruto was horrified to see that there was still someone in the bed as the fire blazed all around them. Naruto raced over to the bed and could see that it was actually Shion.

"Shion! What are you doing? You have to get up! There's a fire!" Naruto both roared and pleaded with her. It was only then that he could see just how ill she looked, how frail she looked. It hurt him to finally realise this but there was no way that he could get her out of there, and even if he did she wouldn't last long. After his words had left his mouth Shion's eyes shot open and in evident fear and possibly hysteria started screaming at Naruto.

" Shina! You have to save Shina!" Shion pleaded as she grasped what strength she still had and grabbed the front of Naruto's cloak, lucky that his golden chakra had receded away the second he had walked into the room. "They took her! They took Shina!" Shion screamed as she pointed towards the window of her room that had recently been broken.

"Hang on Shion, who is Shina?" Naruto asked trying to calm the woman below him down, even though the flames in the room were rapidly making Naruto lose his calm. Shion's expression seemed to lessen for the slightest of seconds as she leaned forwards and Naruto leaned in as well in order to hear her. She whispered into his ear so softly that he thought he might actually miss what it was that she said. It had the complete opposite effect; it was as if the whole world went completely silent so that he could hear what it was that Shion would say next.

"It's our daughter Naruto, our daughter" Shion whispered to him and Naruto honestly felt a pit forming in his stomach. He had only just gotten to the palace and found it in complete chaos, found one of the most important people in his life in poor condition in a burning room no less and found out he had a daughter and that she was already in mortal peril. He could not take it, if he had a daughter then he had to save her right now, but he would not leave Shion to die in here, not like this. Without even asking any form of permission Naruto had lifted Shion out of the bed and had her in his arms as if she were a bride.

* * *

><p>Just like his namesake suggested he was then gone in a flash of gold out of the open window with Shion in his arms. He did not even look back as he passed all of the other buildings that were burning; all that mattered to him just now was the slowly deteriorating form of the woman in his arms. The sounds of any other screaming had already died down and Naruto simply raced out of there in order to find a suitable place to rest and somewhere he could safely look after Shion correctly.<p>

When he did finally find somewhere suitable he set Shion against a tree momentarily. He then removed his three scrolls and picked the one full of his camping gear. He released his tent and his futon, he placed the futon on the ground and quickly moved Shion onto it, to where he hoped she would at least be comfortable, and maybe not the best but it was better than a burning bed. At least her expression seemed to say that it was better, though he did have to try and read it through a face covered in soot. Next Naruto set about making sure that he had the tent ready which he would then manoeuvre over Shion, so he did not have to move her too much. After he finished making the tent he softly placed it over the futon that Shion was resting on.

Naruto next set about gathering wood and before even thinking about it had set fire to it and lit up the small area amongst the woods that they were currently in. from here he could see that Shion was resting almost calmly, he would have feared that the worst had come if it were not for the fact he could see the soft rise and fall of her chest. He felt a sense of relief wash over him as he could see that simple gesture, it affirmed to him that she was still there for now at least.

The next thing Naruto though about was locating wherever it was that his 'daughter' might be. If he indeed shared a daughter with Shion then he was hell-bent on getting her back, there was going to be no force on earth capable of stopping him from saving her. He sat down onto the ground and got into a meditative stance where he searched through the surrounding area for any high concentration of chakra or even any signature that felt anything like his own. He found it quickly enough and instantly stood to his feet again. He walked over to the tent only to hear Shion calling out repeatedly.

"Save Shina, we have to save Shina" Naruto honestly felt a part of his heart breaking at seeing Shion like that. He knew he should not be surprised that he had a child, Shion had asked him to fulfil his promise to her when he had saved her from those Shinobi the last time he had been there, and in all honesty he should have seen this coming. Shion's weak form haunted him, a woman who had been so strong in the past was now so weak, it infuriated that whoever it was that had invaded the palace and taken his daughter had attacked when Shion was so weak.

Naruto balled his hand up into a fist. His fury was peaking once again and he knew that he was going to have to get it out soon. Without even using and hand signs a shadow clone appeared right behind him. "**You will look after her**" he spoke in a barely contained voice and the clone knew for a fact that messing with the boss if he was like this was a bad idea. The shadow clone simply nodded its head before going about procuring the necessary things to look after Shion until the boss returned.

Naruto was already covered once again in his golden chakra that was beginning to burn the ground below him, the nine tails were flowing behind him. he blasted off of the ground in a millisecond and left the shadow clone to tend to Shion, it was barely even 5 minutes later when they felt an immense surge of chakra the likes of which the world had not felt for over 21 years.

The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox had been released onto the world once more and as if just to reaffirm this piece of information a roar was released into the air that shook the very ground that the shadow clone and Shion were on.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Tsunade's office<strong>_

Tsunade was about to leave her office for the night until the door to her office was suddenly burst open by a pale looking Yamato who was holding his hand in pain. Besides the fact that Yamato NEVER just burst into her office and the way he looked instantly made Tsunade pale.

"Yamato! What is it!" Tsunade demanded, the terrified way that Yamato stared at her scared her and when he said nothing and simply held his hand up for her to see her own hand shot up to her face. "It can't be" Tsunade spoke into her hand as she stared at the information she was able to see. Burning on the hand of Yamato was the number 9.

* * *

><p><em>Well you guys here ya go, I hope that you forgive me for being so late with this chapter but I've been going between this and Hollow Kingdom so it took a bit longer than usual. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if not then I do indeed apologise to you. As always please leave a little review to let me know how this story is going, if you agree or disagree or anything really I'm not bothered any feedback is good feedback. Anyway I hope you enjoyed and I hope you shall continue to read on =] - Varrukh<em>


	15. Chapter 15 Jeremiah Kyota

All around there was nothing but chaos. Men scrambled to their feet as they made their vain attempts to try and escape their fate. The only thing that was proving it hard to keep their lives was the monster that had so suddenly appeared. Their surroundings had essentially been quiet besides the sounds of nature that continued on as per usual, the only unnatural sound was the wailing of a child. Then it had come.

There had been absolutely no clue that there was even anything approaching, no leaves rustled and no noise was made. That was until from above the entire campground a roar of demonic proportions sounded out. To all of those that were outside of their tents at the time they watched as a golden light descended down upon them. It was almost as if the sun came down upon them, despite it being night time. It was only when men and women began to file out of their tents did their true horror starting to take hold.

As the object continued closed in on the ground its shape could be defined more and most were now able to view it as a human form plummeting from the sky, completely covered in golden chakra. Many prepared their various weapons and awaited the man to land. What they had not anticipated was what happened before the man impacted upon the ground.

He released another howl of rage, only this time his voice began to deform and change through his descent until he crashed into the ground. What the men of the campground were met with through the dust and smoke was a horrifying sight indeed. The figure in the smoke shot its head forward suddenly and released an entirely demonic screech that blew the smoke and dust away and revealed their opponent.

Towering above them was a creature that had not been fully seen for over 21 years. The full majesty of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox was finally revealed to all of the men that had assembled to fight off the intruder; it was not the creature they had heard of though. The demon fox was supposed to be an angry crimson and orange colour, this thing was golden.

* * *

><p>"RUN! We can't hope to beat that thing!" one man roared to all of his comrades before he promptly made to run away, he had no intention of trying to take on that thing, he knew just who that was and knew he stood no chance. He was not the only one as there were at least a majority of those before the Kyubi that turned and were about to run until they felt searing pain in their backs. It was only when blackness invaded their vision that they realised turning their back on the creature was not the best of ideas.<p>

After Naruto had cut down the men before him he had mercilessly went on to start moving through the campground, killing men and women as they attacked him. His mind was too addled with worry and anger to even think about who he might be fighting against, all he knew was that he had to get to his daughter and he had to do it quick. Naruto's large bulk smashed through many of the tents and possibly crushed those who had not made it out of their tents yet.

He felt a sudden impact upon the left side of his ribs and spun around to find a man dropping to the ground after delivering some kind of attack. Naruto was secondarily confused until an explosion erupted from where the man had hit and Naruto felt a wave of pain wash over his left side. His body slightly moved due to the severity of the explosion. Naruto went to swipe his large clawed hand at the man only to watch as he nimbly flipped over it and landed a few behind where he had previously been standing.

Small balls of light and dark gathered above the head of Naruto and came together to create a large black ball of energy. The ball started to get smaller until it was about the size of the Fox's mouth before Naruto opened his mouth and took the orb within. He felt the chakra becoming instable in his mouth and through forcing chakra through his mouth he released the orb. The Tailed Beast Bomb as it was so commonly known as ripped out from Naruto's mouth and narrowly missed taking out the man he had been aiming for, although all tents and anything behind them were suitably wiped out. Naruto just hoped that his daughter was not in the firing line of it.

With renewed anger and now slight annoyance at the sleekness of the other man Naruto spun around the opposite way, trying to catch the man with one of his nine tails. Unfortunately just like before the man was able to dodge his attack with relative ease. Naruto really did hate speedy opponents; despite being a Shinobi of speed himself with skills like the Hiraishin no Jutsu he hated others like that. It just made them harder to beat.

He knew that if he didn't start making any real progress on the man then he would have to re-take his normal form in order to stand a chance of getting rid of the man, and he was getting the feeling that he was fast running out of time to save his daughter. With one last attempt to catch the man with anything he could Naruto gathered chakra into his mouth and cast it upon the man before him as molten fire spewing from his mouth.

The man was nowhere to be seen when Naruto tried to find him afterwards. If he was lucky then he had managed to catch the man within that fire and there was very little chance of him escaping that, it was nothing short of immolation.

"That was a close one, I might have been charred flesh if I wasn't fast enough" a distinct and calm sounding voice called out from somewhere to Naruto's right. He turned around only to find that same man walking towards him with his hands in his pockets and a calm expression upon his face, if anything the man almost seemed happy.

The light that was cast off from the fire that had recently left Naruto's mouth and illuminated the man. He was a tall man, perhaps as tall as Naruto at human normal height. His hair was long enough to reach his shoulders with the top being spiked up and was a complete midnight black colour. His clothing was mostly red and black. He had on black battle sandals and black pants that had the white tape over the thigh of his left leg and pockets in the usual places. Moving up his body he was wearing a black long sleeved shirt with red sleeves and on top of this he wore a cloak. The cloak was much like Naruto's when he had shown up to fight with Pain, the only difference being that the red and black colours were inverted, with a black cloak and red flame designs.

"I think I have spent enough time dodging, won't you agree?" the man asked before he had vanished in a flash of black. Naruto could only look around confused for a moment before he felt a blast of impact slamming into his left shoulder. Under the sudden pain Naruto roared in pain and went down on his limb to try and alleviate some of the pain. As his huge body crashed to the ground he opened his eyes to see the man standing right in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest now.

"Oh come now, the great Naruto Uzumaki, the man who ended the Fourth Shinobi War, the man who has become known as the Golden Flashing Demon can barely even take two of my hits before he hits the ground?" the man asked in a disappointed voice as he also shook his head. "Dear Shina would surely be disappointed to find her father so weak" the man finished off. He turned around to move away anticipating the next move.

Naruto heard those words leave the man's mouth and saw red. His body shrunk in size until he was normal size once again with the golden chakra radiating from his form and nine tails flowing behind him. He leapt at the man and prepared to kick the head off of him. The only problem was that just as he closed in the man spun around and caught his outstretched limb. There was a glimpse of a grin on his face before he sent his fist blasting into face and sending him into the air.

Naruto performed a backflip and landed on the ground, even then he was still sent back a few metres along the ground. The man turned to look at Naruto with a happier expression on his face. "This is more like it, now I know how to get you to take me seriously" the man spoke as his entire attention was on Naruto. He looked around the burning camp site as men and women ran for their lives from the flames. "Look at them, so easily terrified of fire, so easily terrified of monsters, do not take me for one of them" the man finished as he looked at Naruto.

"Who are you? And what do you want with my daughter?" Naruto asked straight out. The man before him could only smile at the straightforward manner that Naruto had addressed the situation.

"Rest assured that your daughter is in no real danger… well of course as long as the flames don't reach her too soon" he answered which Naruto instantly bristled at. His daughter was in jeopardy and this man was preventing him from getting to her. He didn't even care for the name of the man.

"Where is she!" Naruto roared at the man who seemed to find human life a fun object to toy around with, especially one so young. That was not even taking into account that it was essentially part of Naruto's blood.

The man was taken aback slightly by the sudden rage within Naruto's voice but quickly regained his composure. "As I said she is safe… for the moment" he answered as he suddenly found Naruto right in front of him once again, only this time he had a sphere of chakra rotating in his hand and he thrust it into the space that the man's head had once occupied. He appeared again a few feet away in a black flash with a bit of a surprised look on his face.

"Impressive! That one almost got me!" the man cheered on as Naruto turned around to look at the man he had only just narrowly missed. It was like fighting against that damn Tobi bastard all over again, able to make his body intangible and allow things to pass through him. _I don't understand! Why can't I hit him!_ Naruto wondered in his mind as the man he had tried to hit only looked at him with a bored expression.

"Come on! I hate people that just stand around doing nothing!" the man roared as he leapt forward this time and sent his own fist towards Naruto's face. The man's leap was so fast that Naruto barely even had enough time to think about dodging or using any technique to stop the man. As it ended up Naruto's arms crossed in front of his face and they both took the brunt of the punch from the man. Naruto felt the pain from the hit and closed his eyes momentarily, yet that moment was all that was needed as the man disappeared in a black flash once again and appeared behind Naruto, sending a kick to the back of his head and effectively flooring Naruto.

"This truly is getting boring! Oh I know, how about a deal? If you can land one hit on me then I shall return Shina to you, how does that sound?" he asked the prone man. He received his answer when Naruto disappeared in a golden flash and was once again behind him and had a much larger swirling ball of chakra in his hand. At least now he knew a way to get Naruto motivated.

"Odoma Rasengan!" Naruto roared as he brought it back slightly and forced it forward once again. His large Rasengan made its progress towards the man until he felt something stopping the Rasengan and by extension him too. "Rasengan" another voice yelled to Naruto's horror. With his concentration gone the large Rasengan faded and as Naruto fell to the ground he could see the same swirling chakra within the hand of his opponent, only it was still only the size of his hand.

"I will not be beaten so easily, I thought I already told you that?" the man asked rhetorically as Naruto came closer to him. Without anything to stop him and the man only being inches away at the time Naruto was then subject to something he hadn't felt too much over his life. This was the feeling of a Rasengan getting rammed into his gut and then being thrown away from the sheer power behind it. Naruto landed on his back and was looking directly up into the eyes of his opponent. Those eyes of gold told of nothing but disappointment.

"To think you would be so easily repelled by your own signature technique, which is rather embarrassing is it not?" the man asked condescendingly. Naruto's instant reaction was to leap onto his feet and try to uppercut the man. The man's eyes actually widened in surprise this time as Naruto's fist actually was the closest it had ever been to actually hitting his face. "I see it might be wise that I do not underestimate you, after all I won't let you hit me so easily" the man spoke as he took a jump back from Naruto to put distance between them.

Naruto was starting to get agitated. Somewhere out there his daughter was in danger and back where he had left her with his clone Shion could only be getting weaker, he might have some sense of healing but it was nothing exceptional. He had to defeat this guy and he had to do it soon. Throwing all care into the wind Naruto closed his eyes and reopened them revealing the purple eyes with concentric circles and tomoe. Within a second of opening his eyes his arms were completely enveloped in lightning the fabric of clothing on his arms being completely destroyed in an instant and the cloak and armour feeling the heat.

The man found himself surprised at the sudden lightning arcing all over Naruto's arms but not too much. He knew of the Flashing Golden Demon and most of his tricks, especially the Jutsu that had been created by the Konoha Jonin Hatake Kakashi, the same Jutsu that had become infamous because of the missing-nin Sasuke Uchiha. This just showed him that Naruto was taking his challenge head on, that was good enough for him.

Naruto disappeared in golden light once again only this time there were lightning trails behind the path he took and appeared in front of the man. He thrust his right hand forward, with this same motion causing all of the lighting to race off of his hand and due to the man's successful dodge right into an unlucky tree. Naruto did not even miss a beat however as he simply twisted to the man's current direction and shot off the lightning from his other arm. The man smirked as he dropped down low and swiped Naruto's legs out from under him, effectively dodging the attacks and putting Naruto back onto the ground again.

Without letting Naruto get too comfortable on the ground the man spun around and stood up straight before looked down on Naruto and generating a Rasengan in his right hand. "You must try harder!" the man spoke as he drove the ball of chakra into Naruto's chest and caused him to cough up blood.

"And here I thought you were getting serious" the man complained as he rose again from what he had done to Naruto. Naruto's breathing was hoarser than it had been before and it sounded more like he was wheezing than he was breathing. The man was almost at full height when he heard something from Naruto, it was barely above a whisper but he heard it. "Now I am serious" Naruto spoke quietly at first causing the man looked at Naruto in surprise.

"Shinra Tensei!" Naruto called out as an invisible force pushed up against the man and sent him right into one of the tents that was not already on fire. Naruto slowly got back onto his feet and looked to where the man was getting up from the tent. Naruto's breathing was heavy and his body felt the exact same way. He had to get at least one hit into this guy, he only hoped that he would honour the deal he had himself brokered. He hated having to rely on such a simple bargain to save his daughter's life but the man was impossibly good, as good as him if not even better.

"That was unexpected but I shall not complain" the man said as he wiped himself down and walked towards Naruto. Just as he was feet away from Naruto he stopped and he took in Naruto's appearance. "Do you honestly believe you can keep peace in this world if you are so weak?" the man asked and caused Naruto to look at him directly through angry eyes. "You are the man that ended the Fourth Shinobi War yourself and brought about peace, yet you cannot take on a man who is barely even trying" he continued all the while getting right to the bone on Naruto.

"I will protect this peace, I will protect my precious people with all my power" Naruto responded trying to sound strong but the man was not taking the bait; he simply crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Naruto.

"Well quite clearly peace shall be gone and those you hold precious shall perish" the man responded blankly. Naruto was stunned silent and his eyes showed this to the man perfectly. "I have no doubt that I could go to Konoha right now and destroy it, sparking doubt and strife but also destroying all that you hold dear" the man went on as he watched Naruto's expression change to horror. "It is rather sad when a bunch of dim-witted bandits with the aid of some Shinobi could fool you so easily" the man said as Naruto's horror seemed to lessen for a second and confusion took over.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked coldly as his eyes concentrated on the man who raised his arms in mock defence at Naruto's sudden tone difference.

"I mean the fact that some bandits managed to guess where you would go first if you were to come here and had enough time to sack the Priestess' castle. While at the same time stealing the precious next in line to be Priestess, although I doubt they could have known it would be your daughter" the man answered as he looked around himself at the burning campground that was almost entirely ablaze, his arms fell to his side once again before he spoke. "If you cannot even save your very own daughter then what chance does the rest of the world have?" he asked with a bit of an evil smile directed at Naruto. "When the man who is supposed to keep the world in peace can be fooled by bandits and lose his child I fear for the world" the man finished as he saw a flash covering Naruto's eyes and he snarled.

Naruto's body's state was instantly forgotten as he flashed out of existence and began to appear and disappear all over the place catching the man off guard, he had not anticipated such a bold movement, especially in Naruto's condition. He knew the intention and had to give Naruto credit, he didn't give up easily.

"I will save my daughter!" Naruto shouted from several different places as he switched due to the Hiraishin no Jutsu. The man felt another smile tugging at his lips. Perhaps now this person would show him what the protector of the world was made of. Naruto kept at his constant disappearance and reappearance act for a few more seconds until the man actually noticed that he had stopped, but it was not only just him. The man noticed to his shock that there were at least nine Naruto clones.

"Very crafty" the man quietly remarked as all of the Naruto's restarted what the original had been doing, kicking up dust and dirt and making it hard for the man to know where the original was. Two came towards him with Rasengan in their hands. He turned to face them quickly charging a Rasengan in his own hand, yet as he sent it forward both clones burst into smoke and left the man with his back exposed whereupon another five appeared with Rasengan of their own. They all went for his exposed back.

Realising this the man leapt forward in a flash of black and reappeared a few feet ahead of where he had been. As he looked up he saw that there were two Naruto's that had stopped on either side of him for a second before disappearing in gold again. They reappeared inches away from him with both clones having lightning dancing over their right arms, they ran towards each other and as they reached the man tried to perform the fabled Double Larait.

The man was fortunate enough that his reflexes were well in tune and his body instinctively bent over backwards into the crab position. The Naruto clones were unable to stop and as such collided with each other and effectively destroyed each other dispelling into smoke. Only with the slight gap in the smoke did he finally realise what Naruto's plan had been. He could see Naruto descending down upon him with a small black Rasengan in his right hand. _He used the clones as a distraction to get me confused_ the man remarked to himself in his mind. He was not about to take the hit from something that looked quite as deadly as that thing so went to disappear in a flash of black once again.

When he landed once again however he felt a horrible pain in his right ankle. Looking down he could see that the ankle was actually at an awkward angle which indicated to him that it was broken. He knew why though, his ankle had been the last thing that was left before he made it into his technique so it only made sense that Naruto caught that, yet with that it also meant Naruto had gotten a hit into him and he was a man of his word.

He stood up once again despite the angry spikes of pain coming in protest from his ankle. From within the smoke of where he had once been standing he could see that the technique had caused some amount of devastation, there was a massive crater now where Naruto stood panting heavily.

"You have managed to get a hit into me!" the man shouted at Naruto who looked at him with an unreadable expression. The man went on to continue. "Since you have beaten me I shall return your daughter to you" the man continued on as he made some hand seals. After completing these there was a loud crack and a flash in the man's hands and then the area was filled with the sounds of a wailing baby.

Naruto's eyes instantly perked up at the sound of the baby and looked to where the man stood holding on to his daughter. He wasted no time as he flashed over to where the man stood with his daughter. Naruto was cautious, he knew this guy could simply be using his daughter in order to get him close and use her as a shield. As he stood in front of the man he looked directly into the eyes of the man and to his utter surprise found no deception in his eyes. The man held the baby within a blanket and presented it to Naruto.

"Here is your daughter" the man said as he held her out to Naruto who in turn gingerly took her from his hands, his golden chakra instantly receding back into his body as he took her. The man's arms fell to his side and he took a step back from Naruto. "Do not think of me as an evil man Naruto" the man said which caused Naruto to look up at him in anger. Who did he think he was? He had stolen his child and left one of his precious people in a poor state.

"What the hell do you mean! You stole my daughter and hurt Shion!" Naruto yelled at the man who simply took the verbal destruction through an unfazed look.

"That was not I but these bandits, they had done everything and hoped to sell young Shina off for a pretty penny" the man began to explain. "They had planted an extra camp to put you off their scent and went on to attack the palace and therefore stealing the child, I don't know what they done to the woman" he admitted as Naruto's mind came up with the worst of thoughts. "I doubt as I said that they knew it was _your_ daughter and did not expect you to follow them here after going to the palace. Though I cannot pretend to understand their thinking I do not know what they intended to achieve with a place that was under the protection of the Golden Flashing Demon, you saw how fast they ran when you actually appeared" he finished as he smiled at the irony of the bandits' situation.

"You make it seem as if you have no blame in any of this" Naruto pointed out and at that the man smiled at him.

"That is because I had no fault in any of this; I never touched the palace and only handled the child when I gave her to you. I wanted to see what would happen when the Golden Flashing Demon realised that his own flesh and blood was in peril" the man answered him as a green aura began to glow from around his broken ankle.

"Why would you want to see that?" Naruto asked as he was glad that it seemed like Shina was beginning to calm down, only whimpering now. The man however smiled at the question posed by Naruto.

"I wish to see my opponent in the future, like I said you are not strong enough to protect this peace in the world and if you do not get stronger then I shall plunge this world back into war once again" the man said as the glow of green stopped emanating from his right ankle. With that he turned around and prepared to walk away, leaving a stunned Naruto.

"Wait, do you mean you are going to make another war?" Naruto asked in shock and fear, as he took a step towards the man who only looked over his shoulder at Naruto.

"Of course, I used these bandits because I knew they would lead you here, I brought you here for one reason" the man began as he turned around fully to look at Naruto head on. "I brought you here to call the beginning of our war, prepare yourself Naruto Uzumaki, five years from now I shall destroy this world" the man proclaimed, leaving Naruto once again completely stunned.

"Why! Why would you possibly want to destroy this world?" Naruto asked of the man before him who simply chuckled lightly and turned his back on Naruto.

"That is of no consequence Uzumaki Naruto" he replied as he began walking. Naruto made to go after him but was stopped for two reasons. First of all obviously being the bundle in his arms that was still whimpering away. The second thing was that the man had stopped. "Remember my name Uzumaki for it is the one you shall fear to meet again for five years…" the man spoke as he looked over his shoulder once again. "… my name is Jeremiah, Jeremiah Kyota" Jeremiah finished before he was gone in a flash of black.

Naruto was completely lost. How could this happen? He couldn't' believe it, war again. That was the worst thing he could imagine, it was his dream that he had finally realised for himself Jiraiya and Nagato to have the world in peace and yet it looked like all of that was about to be flushed away. Not to mention what the other Kage might say about it, his handling of the situation might be brought into question.

Shina moved in his arms once again and reminded him that he was actually holding his daughter. Yes, this was his daughter, the miracle of life that he and Shion had conceived, his happiness at finally meeting his daughter was somewhat overshadowed by the fact that he now knew that in the future she would have to grow up in war.

No, he would fix all of this, he would get stronger. Strong enough to protect the world and make sure that his daughter would never have to suffer the harsh realities of war. All of his precious people would be protected, he was going to make sure of it, no matter what he had to do, no matter how long he had to train and no matter how much he might hurt, he would never give up on them. "I promise to protect this world" he said to the small bundle in his arms "And especially you, my Hime" Naruto finished as he stroked the side of his daughter's head.

Looking at her he could see the characteristics that she had inherited from her parents. She had his sun kissed blonde hair despite it not being all too long just then. Her eyes were also his as a pair of tiny cerulean orbs looked back at him. He could just tell right now that she inherited her looks from her mother and Naruto knew for a fact she would look beautiful once she was older. The little girl giggled as he stroked her cheek and grabbed onto one of his large fingers with her tiny hand, finding herself fascinated instantly and quiet now. Naruto smiled at his daughter's innocence.

Remembering the state that Shion had been in Naruto held onto his daughter tightly as he turned and ran in the direction where he had left Shion with his clone. He would have used the Hiraishin except, he was both out of chakra and did not know what would happen to his young daughter if he was to use it.

* * *

><p>He did not have to run for long because his legs were powerful themselves and he covered the distance in half the time others would have used. When he came upon the camp again he could see that the fire had been reduced since it was darker and it would become more obvious, he had forgot about that, good thing his clone was obviously level headed. He walked into the small camp and eyes the tent nervously; he could see Shion lying still in the tent and began to feel apprehensive.<p>

His clone stepped out of the tent and found the boss standing staring at him. it nodded its head to Naruto before popping out of existence, giving Naruto all of its memories. Naruto found to his relief that Shion had kept in the same condition at least but she was slowly losing her battle. Naruto made his way over to the tent and peeled the tent entrance open to see Shion on her back with lots of sweat permeating her forehead.

He must not have been stealthy enough because the second he moved into the tent Shion's eyes opened wide in fright before realising who it was. Then her eyes widened once again, only this time they widened in glee and joy. She could still not get up easily but she tried her hardest to sit up. As Naruto saw this he knew it would be useless to try and stop her so he knelt down and helped her into a sitting position facing him. Once he saw she was comfortable he then looked her in the face.

"Naruto…" Shion spoke so softly and so happily that Naruto could not help but smile despite what he had just been through. Shion had that quality where any situation could seem much better than it truly was with just her voice alone. Shion held out her arms to Naruto with a hopeful quality in her eyes and Naruto obliged by handing her the small bundle in his arms. Shion took her and her eyes welled with tears as she held her daughter with a happy smile. "Thank you Naruto, thank you so much" Shion spoke through sobs.

"Don't thank me Shion, you're one of my precious people and she is my daughter, of course I would do it" Naruto answered and he patted Shion on the shoulder while at the same time rubbing the top of Shina's head. Shion smiled at him with her beautiful smile that she only showed to very few people. Naruto smiled also and took a seat in front of Shion and watched as she tended to her daughter. The way she acted gave nothing away of her poor condition. Perhaps when she was with Shina she just put it all to the back of her mind to deal with later, this then left Naruto wondering how long Shion had been suffering.

Shion had her eyes closed and was humming some soothing tunes to Shina as she rocked back at forth. Naruto found that the effects were not only on Shina as he could feel his own body beginning to get heavy and his eyes drooping. He stayed strong though, he knew that he might have to help Shion get comfortable again and did not want to have her worrying about him when she should worry about herself. As she finished her tune she opened her eyes to find her beautiful daughter sound asleep.

She smiled at her daughter sleeping so soundly and set her down softly so that she could sleep in peace, Shion then wrapped another blanket around the first to keep Shina warm and then nodded her head in self accomplishment before her eyes wandered to the other inhabitant of the tent. Their head was lulled forward slightly and he looked almost like they were sleeping.

Naruto: the man that she loved in both body and soul. She knew she should never have fallen in love with him because their backgrounds were too diverse, him a Shinobi called out to kill and fight and she was a priestess of Demon Country. Despite this it was undeniable that she had fallen head over heels for him. She had never expected it to happen, if she were to be honest she expected that when Naruto finally came to help her with the next generation it would be done and dusted without much more thought to it.

Just as fate seemed to be against humans most of the time, it acted up against her and made things for her much more difficult before they improved at all.

* * *

><p><em><strong>1 Year Ago<strong>_

Shion had been having a really bad day. As if being the priestess was not enough then the very fact that the amount of paperwork she had to do had exploded truly did put a damper on her mood. She loved her position, she loved her people but Damnit to hell did managing it all not take a lot out of her, sometimes all she wished for was a long rest.

Banishing such thoughts from her mind lest they be jinxed in the future she stood up from her desk and made her way to her room, surely she had done enough for today. The pile of paperwork that had been as tall as she stood was now barely even a few inches high, she felt damn proud of herself at getting through so much paperwork. Anyway, now was bedtime as Shion found out when a yawn escaped her mouth and she stretched, feeling some of the cramp in her body disappearing, though sadly not all of it.

Once she finally reached her room she went about the business of readying herself for bed, she had greeted her two guards at the door before entering. They did not seem too fazed when she did not offer much conversation, they put it down to tiredness that she sometimes lost out to, and being a leader was tough after all. After peeling away her clothes she took a shower and then eventually prepared herself for bed, she was definitely looking forward to it now.

She looked out of her bedroom's window and smiled at the beauty of the darkening sky. She loved her country that could give her sights like these. With a happy heart Shion climbed into bed and closed her eyes. The last thing that she could consciously remember thinking about was a blonde company ion that she had not seen in a long time and found herself wanting to see him again funnily enough.

The next thing Shion knew she heard a heavy grunt followed by a loud thud and then the sound of metal meeting metal. With those three sounds Shion's eyes widened and she awoke suddenly. She hoped that she was hearing things yet when she heard yet another clash of metal then followed by another grunt and thud. Thoroughly terrified already Shion leapt out of her bed and rushed over to her dresser where a vase full of flowers sat. She lifted it up and emptied the contents out onto the floor before holding the vase above her head.

Even with her makeshift weapon in her hands she still got a fright when the doors to her room were burst open and in came one man. What terrified her was that it was a Shinobi, one of the people she had come to trust ever since her blonde haired companion all those years ago. What she neglected to notice was that the headband upon their head had a scrape right through it. The Shinobi looked into the room and kept on looking around until his eyes fell upon her. What she saw both scared and disgusted her.

The Shinobi was completely covered in blood and they had a maniacal grin on their face. In their hand they held a katana that was still dripping with the blood of his poor victims that Shion could only guess were her door guards. In desperation Shion threw the vase at the Shinobi only to watch him swish his katana and shatter the vase as if it were nothing. Shion's eyes widened in horror as the man continued to stalk towards her, his grin never once leaving his face.

"Nice priestess, be a good girl and stand still" the Shinobi spoke tilting his head to the side as he spoke. Shion felt her terror rising, she was not a fighter and she had never denied it. Right now all of her senses were screaming at her to not even consider fighting and to take flight. She would so much love to follow her senses but she had allowed the Shinobi to back her into a corner and she was slowly finding her routes of escape dwindling.

Just as her back hit the wall and a small 'eep' escaped her lips the man grinned even wider. "That's right, just stand still" the Shinobi said as he raised his katana high above his head. Shion would have closed her eyes and awaited her fate had she not seen the movement in the shadows and then the sudden appearance of a katana through the chest of the Shinobi in front of her. His face registered the sudden object within him and looked down to the katana before dropping to his knees and falling over.

Shion looked up from the man on the ground and from the shadows could see that it was actually one of her guards that had defeated the Shinobi. He had a large wound over his chest that he held with the hand not holding the katana. Shion could tell he was struggling just by the way he breathed. "Come Shion-Sama, we must get you out of here" her guard wheezed as he continued to breathe heavily. Despite seeing his condition she nodded her head, she knew better than to try and argue against those that wanted to protect her, it was wasted breathe because they would still do it anyway.

Her guard led her through the castle while still holding his wound with one hand and grasping his katana with the other. Shion really did want him to take a rest, his wound must be causing him unbelievable amounts of pain and here he was protecting her when he should be looking after himself. They wandered through the castle for a small while until her guard could go on no longer. The place they had stopped was a little too open for the guard's liking but he could not choose the limits of his body. There was a set of double doors right in front of them.

The guard leaned up against one of the pillars behind him and finally fell to the ground in a sitting position where Shion then knelt down to check his condition. The guard looked up at her with a soft smile. "My apologies Shion-Sama, I cannot get you out of here" he wheezed while smiling sadly at her. She felt tears coming to her eyes as yet another person was dying for her, she hated this. Before she could even give any form of reply his body went limp and his eyes glazed over.

Shion's pained cries echoed out through the open area that the guard had fallen in and suddenly from behind her she heard the double doors being burst open. In her alarm she turned around and found to her horror that there were more pouring in to the open area, she quickly manoeuvred behind the pillar the guard leaned against and prayed that none would find her. She prayed for a miracle because as the Shinobi kept filing in she could almost feel the trap net closing in on her.

"Hmm, wonder what happened to this guy? Must have met with Imura" one of the Shinobi spoke almost bored as he kicked the limp foot of the guard that had saved Shion. She tried and luckily managed to succeed in holding in a shriek of horror when the Shinobi kicked her saviour's lifeless body, it made her wish that she could fight and harm these people, as much as it did really go against her ways. After their inspection of the guard they began to look around once again and Shion began to feel very conscious of her hiding spot, so much so that when she say the hand resting just above her head where a Shinobi had leaned on the pillar her heart missed a beat.

"Who forgot to invite me to the party?" a vastly powerful voice called out. Shion's heart beat twice as fast, making up for the one it missed. She knew that voice, it had matured but she would always remember that voice.

"Golden Flashing Demon! What are you doing here?" one of the many Shinobi asked in fear Shion found this peculiar. First of all, what the hell kind of title was that and second of all why did they all fear him so much, surely he had not changed that much over the years had he? The hand that had rested on the pillar above her head left the pillar and she noticed that the attention of all Shinobi was on the one who had entered. She only hated the fact that her hiding place did not allow her to see.

"Well, I got Intel telling me that there were some Shinobi going to try and kill Shion so I made my way here as fast as I could" the newcomer spoke as Shion could literally tell that every other Shinobi in the room was scared for their lives now. "The funny thing was that I found a large camp of Shinobi outside of this castle that seemed to fit the category so I took them all out" he continued an Shion now saw horror crossing over the shinobi's faces.

"Is he telling us that our camp is destroyed?" one of the slower Shinobi voiced as there was a deep chuckle left the newcomers mouth.

"I guess you must have been the strike force that was sent ahead of the main force, but yeah your camp and allies are gone so I'd suggest either making yourself scarce or I'll kill you right here" the man outlined and what few Shinobi Shion could see she could tell that they were considering the man's proposal.

"He's just bluffing, there is no way that he could have taken out our camp! We had Kajima and Kijama who had Sharingan!" one of the higher up Shinobi (Shion's guess) called out over the mumbles of the other Shinobi which seemed to quieten them down, that was right the Sharingan was with them, once their reinforcements arrived they would be fine.

"Was that their names?" the man asked casually "They wouldn't tell me their names, awkward bastards" he finished off as once again the Shinobi seemed to be shaken. Shion had no idea if this was who she remembered but he was definitely good with his words and if he had the bite to match his bark then he was a scary man. "Anyway, shall you leave here peacefully or must I eradicate you?" he asked slowly and deliberately.

"We will never give up, especially not to a cheap liar like you! There is no way you took on two Sharingan wielders" the leader Shinobi called out as he charged in followed by all of the other Shinobi. This was finally the chance Shion needed to see the man that had come at just the right time. What she found was a tall man with longish wild golden hair. He had over his face a white mask with a red stained grin. His clothing consisted of white armour on his torso and shoulders which was covered over by a white cloak that had orange flames at the ends. Other than this he only really had blue sandals and pants.

"I hate it when guys like you only ever want to fight, it gets boring and tiring" the man behind the mask complained before he was gone. Shion thought she might have missed something when the second he disappeared he was suddenly dancing between different Shinobi as they went flying away by which time he had already moved onto another. It was truly a spectacle as Shion watched it, if it was not so violent then Shion would even have went as far as to call it beautiful.

As the masked man came to the last Shinobi which happened to be the one Shion guessed to be the leader there was something different. This time instead of just being killed like his comrades there was a hand covered in lighting protruding through his gut. With his last effort he brought his hands up to the masked man's mask.

"Before I die, I would know the face of the man that killed me" the Shinobi groaned out as he ripped the masks from the man's face to reveal the face of one Naruto Uzumaki in the flesh with an emotionless visage staring back through purple eyes with concentric circles and tomoe. "No wonder you beat Kajima and Kijama, with those eyes" the Shinobi said before his body went limp. Naruto threw his body from his hand and looked over to where the poor man had fallen before the Shinobi had entered, the one he had seen them kicking so nonchalantly.

What he had not expected to see was the beauty that was hiding slightly behind the pillar that the man leaned against. her face was slightly splattered with blood but Naruto could also see the distant look in those lavender eyes, it was as if she was seeing something that wasn't there.

"Naruto?" Shion asked slowly, cautious not to get too hopeful as it was hard to find much resemblance now since he had grown up so much. But as she walked closer to him and she could see his face and then finally his whisker marks on his cheeks she finally realised it was him. with a heightened amount of glee and a great deal of relief Shion threw herself at Naruto, happy to see him and glad that he were there.

Naruto caught Shion and held her as she wept into his chest. "It was horrible Naruto, I was so scared" after those words had left her mouth her eyes widened in fright. What about the others in and around the palace? Are they alright? "Naruto, is everyone else alright?" Shion asked, fearful of the answer.

"It's alright Shion everyone else is alright, they seemed to bypass most of the village and came straight here" Naruto responded and he could feel Shion sag in his hold as she breathed out a sigh of relief at that, it was short lived however as her eyes were cast over her guard and the other man that must have fallen at her door. She gripped into Naruto tighter at the very thought of it. "Don't worry Shion, I'm here now I will protect you" Naruto promised as he stroked the back of Shion's hair, making her feel so at ease.

* * *

><p>As it happened there were only a few casualties, some of her guards through the castle who had stopped Shinobi as they had come, she was proud to hear that the lone Shinobi that had gotten into her room was originally part of a ten man team, she was so proud of her guards and prayed that their souls would rest in peace. She made sure that a service was held for those that had fallen for her and spoke to their families individually to apologise for their lives being given up for her.<p>

It was during this time that she got re-acquainted with her old comrade. He had definitely changed over the years; it had been 5 years since she had seen him of course but the sheer scale of change both scared her and caught her off guard sometimes. She would have been lying if she said she had never been caught simply staring at him, he looked so handsome now. Then she found out just how powerful he was, just how unbelievably strong he was.

He had been fighting for years, against Shinobi in mass numbers and some who were simply really strong themselves yet he had prevailed through it all. And here he was with her once again and she would be lying if she said it didn't m make her heart flutter when she thought of it.

Then one day she finally cornered him. As they had talked like they often did during the time he had spent there she brought up the subject of the promise he had made to her all those years ago. She asked if he was still happy to help her with it and at his cheery approval she had leapt at him and kissed him. Although he looked slightly confused as she pulled away from him she smiled at hi m sadly before explaining herself.

"I know you might not feel love for me and I do not know if my feelings for you are love but when I asked you for that promise I meant that you be the father of the next generation" Shion admitted to him as he had a confused look on his face that was suddenly replaced by realization. Shion half worried that the man she had gotten close to would suddenly reject their promise, obviously she had never truly known Uzumaki Naruto.

"I made a promise Shion and I intend to keep it, no matter what it might have been that you meant" Naruto responded to her with a soft smile on his face. That was the moment that Shion knew, she instantly knew that she had fallen in love with him. She knew there would have been people who would have jumped the gun and gone for it without a second thought after being given the opportunity. She also knew there would be those that were angry at being used in such a manner, which was probably why she had fallen for Naruto, he was such an understanding man.

After that Shion had taken him to her bedchambers. What followed was a lovemaking that Shion would forever remember for the rest of her life, despite both of their inexperience and it consequently being both of their first times it was one of the happiest moments in her life. Naruto had been so gentle with her and had taken such good care of her. Even the day after where they had woken in each other's arms he had been so sweet to her. She briefly hoped that he would never leave, she was smitten and she knew it he was too perfect to let go.

Unfortunately the day did arrive that he had to leave, he heard word of another Sharingan wielder had been spotted and Naruto was going to go after him for a reason that he kept from Shion. She felt hurt that he wouldn't tell her but understood some things had to be kept to themselves. He promised to return one day though which brought much glee to her heart once again to know that the man she loved would come to see her again and any possible child she may have.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Present Day<strong>_

Despite her weak body she wanted to be close to him once again, she wanted to feel the warmth that his body alone could emanate. She moved across the ground and finally leaned her back on his crossed legs and her head upon his chest, this seemed to wake Naruto up from his slight doze as he looked down to her in confusion.

"Are you alright Shion?" Naruto asked as he saw the top of her head on his chest. As he asked this question Shion did not exactly look at him but continued to stare at their sleeping daughter.

"Naruto, I'm so glad that I ever got to have you in my life" Shion spoke softly as Naruto simply sat and listened, this didn't seem like the kind of time to interrupt her. "Because of you I was allowed to live my life and because of you I got to have my beautiful daughter" Shion continued although her voice quivered slightly. Naruto moved his arms around and held her softly while she hugged back into him.

"Shion please don't talk like that" Naruto almost pleaded with her, this made Shion smile softly even though he could not see it. This was definitely the man she had fallen in love with all those years ago.

"I have to Naruto-Kun, I am dying" Shion spoke so softly that Naruto almost missed it but due to his heightened senses he heard it. He felt as if a wall had been blasted through in his heart as Shion admitted this to him. She was the mother of their child, she couldn't leave them.

"No, please don't talk like that Shion-Chan you can make it!" Naruto was pleading once again and Shion felt tears starting to come down her face. Her body was becoming numb and she knew that her time was almost up. She could even feel Naruto beginning to sob as her life slowly left her.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I don't want to leave you and Shina, it hurts to know I'll never see her grow up" Shion spoke through a shaky voice. "Naruto please look after her, give her the life that my mother wanted me to have, one of a normal little girl" Shion asked him or more or less pleaded with him.

"Okay, I'll bring her up to be a happy little girl" Naruto responded through a pained voice as he knew that speaking like this could only mean one thing. After he made his promise he looked down to see Shion facing him with a smile on her face.

"Thank you Naruto, can I please ask for one last kiss?" Shion asked now and Naruto could hear it in her voice that she was fading away much more rapidly now. With a nod of his head he leaned down and captured her lips with his own. As he came back from their kiss he saw that her eyes were closed and she had a smile on her face. "I love you, Naruto" Shion whispered out before the last of her strength was gone and she lay lifeless on Naruto's lap.

Naruto felt a part of him die at that moment. Another of his precious people was dead; it hurt too much to think about that she was gone. The only solace he could take in this situation was that through the memories he had received from his clone was that there was no physical harm to Shion's body, whatever it was that had claimed her life was natural.

"I love you too, Shion" Naruto spoke to the lifeless body on his lap. It wasn't a lie one year ago when he had fulfilled his promise to Shion he had grown close to her and he felt it might have bordered on love, yet after finding out he had a daughter he realised there was some love for her in him. He instinctively knew it was a different kind of love than what he had for Ino. While he loved Shion as the mother of his daughter, he loved Ino as the one who was able to crack his shell and showed so much compassion and care for him when he had finally returned to the village.

With one of his precious people now dead and the prospect of war looming in the future Naruto found that there was very little that seemed to be all too bright about the future. However as he looked over to where his daughter slept soundly a smile broke his saddened face, just like he had promised Shion and her he would solve this prospect of war and he would allow his daughter to grow up as a normal little girl. That was his promise to them. And everyone knew that he never went back on his promises.

* * *

><p><em>Well here is the latest chapter. Sorry about the late update but one of the reviews I received had quite a great deal of vehemence in it that I almost thought that this project must be worthless. However as I saw the others who still seemed to enjoy the last chapter and still want updates I thought I should at least give you guys something. This is a longer chapter but I am unsure if it is all that good to be honest, I hope it is because I have introduced the main antagonist and hope that this story can keep going on for a while.<em>

_I apologise that there isn't any lemon in the flashback, I am not too sure I am any good at them and I will hold off until the time with Ino if I do try it at all. Also to finally settle the debate I have decided that this will stay as a Naruto x Ino only story, sorry to all you Harem supporters, perhaps in the future I will make a harem story. Without any further a due I leave you here until the next time I write a chapter for this or Hollow Kingdom, as always R&R if you please and Sayonara for now =] - Varrukh_


	16. Chapter 16 Summons

"I wonder what was wrong with Yamato-Sensei a few days ago?" Ino asked her two companions who were actually in the process of eating while she had asked this. Both Shikamaru and Choji looked hilarious with their cheeks puffed out because of their full mouths of food. "Honestly Shika, I never thought you and Choji would ever have an eating contest" Ino said to the pineapple headed man. Shikamaru in turn only shrugged his shoulders.

"It might be troublesome but the loser has to pay for it all" Shikamaru answered Ino and she could have sworn that she saw the glint of competitiveness or possibly cheapness in his eyes. He swallowed down his food before he said anything else to Ino, lest he face the wrath of her for talking with a full mouth. "To answer your question though I don't know what was wrong with him" Shikamaru answered as he resumed his bored looking expression. Ino seemed to accept this answer.

"So how is your team now Ino?" Choji asked after he had swallowed his mouthful of food and had picked up his glass of water. Ino looked to her former teammate with a smile on her face, one of pride and happiness.

"They're all fine. They all learned the Kage Bunshin and have gotten much stronger in preparation for the Chunin exams" Ino answered him with her proud smile never leaving her face. Her face saddened somewhat thought. "Noma misses Naruto though, not so long after she finally got a father and he had to go on such a long mission, it's hitting her hard" Ino commented with a sad smile on her face.

It was true, although Noma had initially been excited with her sensei able to live in the same building as her and train her as often as possible the novelty must have worn off for her. That or she was just plain missing Naruto. Ino could understand, if she was to be honest she missed him too, the village just seemed to quiet without him, like there was no sparkle left without him there.

Shikamaru looked at Ino and could see the sad look on her face. Just with that simple observation he knew that it wasn't only Noma that was missing him. He didn't know what Naruto had done to get through to Ino on such a level but whatever it was then it had to be something strong.

"Don't worry, I'm sure that Naruto won't take too long, I mean he knows what it's like to grow up like she was in the past and he knows how it would feel to have your first link absent for so long" Shikamaru answered Ino, she looked up at him with a smile on her face. What Shikamaru didn't mention because he knew that they all knew this but Naruto would not be apart from his important people for long, it was like it physically hurt him to do so.

"Anyway, I think he has been away from Ramen for too long so I think we will see a flash of gold in the direction of Ichiraku's Ramen soon enough" Choji joked to his two companions. Shikamaru laughed alongside Ino while he reached down with his chopsticks to where the meat was still sizzling on the grill. However as he went to pull it away he found that it would not budge.

As his vision moved down to the grill he noticed that there was one last piece of meat left and that there were another pair of chopsticks grabbing at the meat from the opposite side of Shikamaru. He looked up to see Choji staring at him heatedly, it turned into a stare down that Ino found herself getting uncomfortable even just looking at it. After a moment however their other hands rose up above the table.

"Jan-Ken-Po!" they both spoke at the same time as they shook their fists three times and then revealed their hands. Choji showed scissors while Shikamaru showed Rocks. Ino almost burst out laughing at the face that Choji pulled after seeing that Shikamaru had beaten him at Jan-Ken-Po and would therefore get the piece of meat. With a victorious smirk Shikamaru picked up the piece of meat and went to eat it before there was a sudden puff of smoke right beside him and there was an ANBU agent standing over him.

Due to the sudden appearance of the man Shikamaru dropped the piece of meat onto his plate and turned to regard the ANBU that had appeared. The only distinguishable thing about this ANBU agent was that they were wearing a wolf mask. Ino and Choji had went silent with the sudden intrusion of the ANBU agent too, it was a kind of moment killer when an ANBU had to interrupt a moment like they were having.

"What is wrong?" Shikamaru asked formally, whenever an ANBU appeared is usually meant something important was happening so Shikamaru addressed the situation as such. The ANBU agent nodded their head before they spoke.

"I apologise for the intrusion Nara-San but the Hokage requires your presence" the ANBU agent spoke as he bowed his head towards Shikamaru. He had to resist the urge to use his favourite catchphrase and rubbing his temple after what the ANBU agent had told him, he knew, he just simply knew that Tsunade was going to make him do something troublesome.

"Okay, I'm on my way" Shikamaru answered the ANBU who in turn nodded his head before disappearing in a Shunshin. Shikamaru turned to his two companions with an apologetic smile on his face. "Sorry guys looks like I'm going to have to love you and leave you" Shikamaru spoke while trying to resist a troubled chuckle, for some reason he felt things were starting to feel a little off.

"That's alright Shika, I better get back to Naruto's estate soon anyway" Ino responded with a happy smile on her face, not noticing the face that Choji had pulled before he made a comment.

"Already moved in and all? You don't waste any time do you Ino-Chan?" Choji asked quietly before he started to snicker to himself and in turn caused Ino to turn on him with a scarlet face.

"What no! I…I… it's not like that at all!" Ino tried to argue back which only went on to make her two companions chuckle at her even further because of her flustered state. Seeing that they would not be finishing their laughter any time soon Ino dropped her head in defeat.

"I'm only winding you up Ino-Chan" Choji said as he stood up from his place at their table. He made to move over towards the door while speaking at the same time. "Well anyway I better head off too if my companions are just going to leave me" Choji said in a rather jovial tone.

"Hey remember you're paying for the meal Choji" Shikamaru reminded his friend who stopped dead in his tracks with wide eyes, Ino had to laugh at the way Choji acted after hearing that. It was like he heard there was no more food left for a week. Choji dropped his head in defeat this time as he knew he did have to pick up the bill, he lost to Shikamaru after all.

"Yeah, yeah alright I'll pay for the bill then; I'll see you guys later" Choji spoke as he walked towards the back of the restraint where the bill would have to be paid. Just as he was about to pass Ino he leaned in and whispered to her. "Don't worry Ino-Chan, I'm pretty sure you can move in with Naruto soon enough" Choji spoke quietly and once again jovially, which caused Ino to light up once again. She would have hit him if he hadn't already disappeared to the back of the restraint.

Shikamaru smiled at Ino's flustered state, to see her get like this over some slight insinuations was somewhat enjoyable but at the same time made him happy. Ino was like a sister to him and all he wanted for her was that she is happy in her life and by the way things seemed then Naruto was the key to bring that about. If that was the case then Shikamaru was only too happy to watch as their relationship took off.

"Bye Ino" Shikamaru said before the shadows all around him began to wrap around him and then condensed into nothing with a slight pop sound coming after the shadow ball had disappeared. Ino stared at the space Shikamaru had occupied only a few seconds before.

"No matter how many times I see it that Kage Shunshin is just cool" Ino said to herself before she made her way out of the restraint. She would have waited on Choji but the chances were that he was talking to the head chef and if that happened he could be gone for hours at a time.

As Ino walked towards the Namikaze compound there were thoughts running through her head as would often happen. Things like 'I wonder what the Hokage wants with Shikamaru?' and 'I wonder how Naruto-Kun is doing?' things like these were common place now and she had to admit that she really did miss the blond man; he truly was like a ray of sunshine in an otherwise dull world. She briefly wondered what kind of mission it was that he was on that would take quite this long.

Ino just hoped that Naruto was alright, he had been through plenty surely enough. To go through much more would probably stretch him beyond his limits. She knew that all she wanted right now was for Naruto to come back with the news that his mission was over and that it had been a success. For him to say it all with that foxy smile of his that seemed to ebb away at all of the worries she might have about her life.

In truth Ino knew that there was another reason that she wanted to see him. It was an entirely selfish reason but there was one part of her that just couldn't come to care if it was selfish or not. She wanted to talk to him about something that she knew could change her life and his too. She just had to tell him about her feelings, she didn't want to lose out to someone else who might take the opportunity while he was away to steal him away from her. She had been thinking of the possibility and had already decided that she would not lose, not to anyone.

That was right the next time that she saw Naruto she would steal him away from everyone else and she would tell him her feelings, to hell with what everyone else might think. She was always a good girl and was always considerate of others' feelings but for once she just wanted to be selfish and think about what she wanted, not what someone else did. Yes she was going to confess to Naruto the next time that she saw him. And with that she walked with renewed vigour towards the Namikaze compound.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Hokage's Office<strong>_

Shikamaru appeared a few seconds later into the office of the Hokage to find Tsunade, Kakashi and Yamato in the room already. Kakashi was surprisingly enough sitting at the Hokage's desk with Tsunade and Yamato standing up and all three of them were facing Shikamaru.

"Thank you for making it here with haste Shikamaru, we must hurry if we are to be ready in time" Tsunade spoke instantly and Shikamaru could tell by the way that she spoke that there was a matter of great importance. Due to this he kept his mouth shut and instead simply nodded his head in understanding. Seeing that Shikamaru understood the severity of the situation Tsunade pressed on. "I have been called to the Land of Iron alongside the other four Kage" Tsunade explained which left Shikamaru confused.

"Why would you and the other Kage need to go there? The only reason you ever had to go there was because of the Fourth Shinobi War" Shikamaru asked as he worked the information through his head, that was the only time they had really met for anything important so he could not come up with any other reason for them to be assembled. "You don't think that something has happened to the alliance do you?" Shikamaru asked almost fearful of the answer he may receive.

Tsunade shrugged her shoulders as her amber eyes looked at Shikamaru. "I don't know to be honest but it would be idiotic of me to miss out on this meeting" Tsunade responded and Shikamaru admitted that it would indeed look bad if one of the required attendants didn't show, especially if it was about what he had guessed at. "As such I request that you be one of my guards that accompany me" Tsunade stated which caught Shikamaru off guard. He wasn't exactly guard material, he wasn't weak but he wasn't exactly a strong physical fighter.

"I accept the request but are you sure I am a good choice Tsunade-Sama? I am not the strongest of Shinobi in Konoha" Shikamaru answered her which brought a smile to her face.

"I don't need physical strength, I require brains and you happen to have the greatest quantity of it, you are coming along to be my advisor, alongside Yamato" Tsunade answered as she looked over to Yamato who nodded his head in confirmation. "While I am away I leave the village in your hands Kakashi, are you up for the challenge?" Tsunade asked as she turned to Kakashi who was still sitting in her chair watching them all closely.

"Very well Tsunade-Sama" Kakashi answered slowly as he nodded his head, making Tsunade smile to herself, she knew he would since it was his home but it made her feel that little bit more sure to physically hear him say it. She turned to the two other men who were in the office with her.

"I know this is very sudden but like I said we must move quickly, please get ready quickly and meet me by the front gates as soon as possible" Tsunade said to her two guards who nodded their heads simultaneously and disappeared in their respective Shunshin.

"Do you think this has anything to do with what happened a few days ago?" Kakashi asked from behind Tsunade. She had already considered the possibility but did not truly want to think about it. When she had seen Yamato's hand with the sign for nine burning his hand raw she had almost fallen out of her seat. She could not believe that Naruto had given in to the fox, it was unbelievable for her.

She had almost assembled a team to go to where Naruto was when Yamato's hand stopped burning, when that happened although the number nine stayed on his hand it did not hurt him. He explained that it happened when Naruto used the Fox's chakra but was in control, or when he wasn't angry. This left Tsunade relieved that Naruto hadn't given in to his hate but the point still stood that he almost had, she had a bad feeling about what had happened on his first mission.

"I don't know, but I have a bad feeling that it does" Tsunade admitted. Kakashi had felt that way too, it was too coincidental that they and the other four Kage would be called together to the Land of Iron once again, and right after Naruto could have lost control of the Fox. It seemed like the time Naruto had taken to try and calm down the other Kage might even be wasted. Kakashi hoped for the sake of the young man that this was not the case, all he wanted for Naruto was for him to have a nice easy life, and it had been hard enough up until now.

"I do too, all I can hope is that he is alright" Kakashi said as he rested his head on his hands and let a tired sigh escaped from his mouth. Tsunade caught the sound of the sigh and looked at the future Hokage. There were no other candidates that were suitable for the role and the only other ones were either dead, too lazy to take the position or were at that time indisposed. Tsunade thanked her luck that she had Kakashi, if ever there was ever a man almost as dependable as Jiraiya and Naruto then it was Kakashi. Despite his faults Tsunade could not think of a better leader for her village.

"You shouldn't sound so tired before you actually take the place of Hokage, it just makes it all the harder when the time truly comes" Tsunade advised her successor who just looked at her with a weary smile on his face.

"People have been wanting me to be Hokage for a long time now, after the Sandaime passed, when it seemed like you would not regain consciousness, so I guess I already kinda prepared myself for when I do finally take up the position" Kakashi answered leaving Tsunade almost feeling sorry for the man, people had always wanted to give him top job, without ever considering what the job would entail, mostly in the bane of all leaders: paperwork.

"I had better go and get ready for this meeting too, I hope to get there and resolve whatever matter there is as quickly as I can" Tsunade spoke to which Kakashi nodded his head in understanding as he also gave her an eye-smile. No matter what many may say Tsunade was like the majority of people who wanted to see the face under Kakashi's mask. If only just once she wanted to see the face that had the Ramen waitress Ayame infatuated with him.

"Good luck Tsunade-Sama, I shall make sure that when you return things were just as you left them" Kakashi tried to assure her before she left. He knew that there was a part of her that subconsciously did not want to leave, it didn't want to leave her village again because the last time she had her entire village was destroyed in an instant. It seemed like his words worked however as she nodded her head with a smile and then left the room, leaving Kakashi on his own in the Hokage's office.

He stared at the wooden desk that supported his arms and by proxy his head. _What possibly happened to you Naruto? There isn't much that can cause you to use the full power of the Kyubi, even when you fought me you never fought with all of that power_ Kakashi thought over in his mind, there was definitely something up with Naruto to lose his temper quite like that. It would do him no use to ponder on it now; he would have to wait until he saw Naruto again to fully understand the situation.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Elsewhere<strong>_

Despite the heaviness in his heart Naruto knew that he would have to endure it. After all he had a daughter that he had to bring up now, and at barely more than three months old it looked like it was all down to him. He wished that Shion didn't have to pass away, although he knew there was little he could do to stop it; the feeling of worrying that he might fail with his daughter was an ever present thing on his mind.

However he pressed on, with his daughter in his arms wrapped in more layers than she had been previously. After all they were in a much colder climate than what they had just come from, the snow all around them being the most striking reminder of this. He found his heart warming up when a light snowfall began and the tiny bundle in his arms tried its hardest to get closer to him.

"Don't worry Hime, I'll find us somewhere to stay for a while" Naruto spoke soothingly to the small bundle in his arms that took no notice of his voice, it simply continued in its pursuit of finding more warmth, the best source being found from Naruto himself. He looked up and then walked with more of a purpose, trying to find a hotel or something so that he could get Shina in out of the cold.

He was lucky that he did not have to look long and finally came across a hotel; it was only a single story hotel but it wasn't a problem for him, so long as it was a place that he could get into and keeps Shina warm. Once inside he was in a large open area with a few sets of double seated couches and a desk just opposite where the door was. Also in the room were a few of the other pastors that must be in for the night.

Naruto made his way over to the desk where there was a young woman in about her early twenties. She had long brown hair and a pair of pretty brown eyes. She was garbed in a baby blue dress was all that Naruto could really see that she wore. She reminded him of Ayame to a degree. Her face told of her surprise at seeing the way he was dressed. Of course he could understand this.

After all he had to wrap himself up accordingly and he had also wrapped a scarf around his face which showed only his oceanic blue eyes. All of his Shinobi attire was covered over by a robe with a hood that he currently had over his head too. He smiled at her apologetically, he had forgotten about his manners.

"Sorry" Naruto spoke as he shook his head back and caused the hood to fall off of his head. Then with his free hand he had unwoven the scarf from around his mouth and finally revealed his face to the woman at the desk. The woman that had been looking at him in suspicion before then instantly regretted doing so when she was met with such a handsome face, where had he been all her life?

"Oh, no… no that's alright" she answered after she realised she had been staring at him a little bit too intensely, although with his attention diverted down to whatever it was he was holding she doubted he even knew she had been staring. With her voice though his attention was back on her and her blush only made that point more blindingly obvious to her. "How can I help you sir?" she asked as she tried to re-establish her professionalism.

Naruto smiled at the woman before he gave his answer. "Do you mind if we stay in here until the snow stops?" Naruto asked the woman kindly as she got slightly confused by what he meant by 'we', after all she had only seen him enter.

"I suppose that would be fine, but it will be dark soon" the woman answered as she looked to the clock on the wall behind her. It was snowy most of the time here and because of that it meant that it was dark quite early on. Naruto looked at her with a concentrated gaze for a few moments which made her blush once again.

"In that case do you have any spare rooms for tonight?" Naruto asked her simply. She turned around to look at the key rack behind her desk and found that there were still plenty of rooms available; after all it was quite rare that they had travellers around at this time of year. She picked up a set of keys for room 15 and turned around before handing them to Naruto.

"There you go those are for room 15, dinner will be ready in about an hours' time" the woman at the desk told him with a smile which he returned.

"Thank you… eh?" Naruto began before he looked at her with a confused expression. She caught on to what he was doing however and through a giggle she answered him.

"Hateru, Karuo Hateru" Hateru answered him with a smile that had Naruto smiling at her too.

"Okay thank you Hateru-Chan!" Naruto said to her before he moved away and on his way towards the room he had been given. He was completely unaware of the state he had left Hateru in though, the blush on her face had her in danger of losing consciousness soon enough. Even some of the pastors had gotten up and moved over to her just to make sure she was alright.

Naruto moved into his room and closed the door behind him. With the outside world closed off to them Naruto then removed his entire cloak and revealed the small child within his arm. She was not moving around as much as she had been previously and he took it that with her being in a warm place now she was happier.

The room that they had been given was a modestly sized room with only really a single bed in it and connected onto the room was a small bathroom with a toilet, shower and a sink. With a happy nod of his head Naruto moved over to the single chair that was opposite the bed. He gently placed Shina down on to the bed before he then went about taking off some of the clothing that would be unnecessary while he was in such a warm building. It basically meant that his orange and white cloak, his white armour and shoulder guards were all taken off alongside the three scrolls that he had on his back. He placed all of these things onto the bed before he sat down into the chair of his room.

With all of the weight taken off of his feet a sigh of contentedness washed over him as he leaned back into his seat and leaned his head over the back of it. It felt so comfortable to be off his feet again. He had been walking for too long it seemed, he could have made the entire distance in half of the time if he had wanted to through the Hiraishin but he didn't want to run the risk of harming Shina. Speaking of the tiny bundle Naruto heard the sound of whimpering and brought his body forwards once again to look at the covered form of his daughter. Naruto could see her trying to get the fabric off of her body and decided it probably best to help her.

After he had taken off the three layers of blankets he had wrapped around her she was back to wearing just a small pink t-shirt and some white pants. Naruto had placed her down onto her back again on the bed and simply looked at her; she was beautiful to him, his little princess. As he looked down on her he noticed that her eyes opened up to look at him and upon seeing him her face screwed into a smile as she reached towards him, gurgling happily as she done so.

Naruto's world in that second felt brighter than it had for the last day or so. With that simple smile from his daughter and that action she directed towards him he felt all of his worries ebbing away and at that moment all that he had to worry about was her and her alone. As he came back to reality he still smiled at her and reached down to pick her up to which she again gurgled happily at. He held her at face height and looked into her eyes before he cracked a wide smile at her which caused her to laugh happily at the face her dad had pulled and she reached out and touched his face.

Her happiness faded though when there was suddenly a rumbling noise coming from her stomach and her face suddenly took on the visage of one none too chuffed at all. Naruto knew it was coming but was still unprepared for it when it did hit. As such he could only stare at her dumbly before her mouth opened and he was completely covered in a white liquid like material, yep he hadn't anticipated that one and unfortunately it completely covered his black undershirt. Naruto looked down at himself and then up again at the smiling face of Shina.

"You quite proud of yourself now? Completely covered daddy in milk" Naruto asked the baby who simply continued to smile at him in that manner that just stopped you from even getting angry at them, after all who can get angry at a cute little baby smiling at you so innocently. Naruto chuckled to himself before he placed Shina back onto the bed and then proceeded to take of the vomit covered undershirt that was really starting to affect his sense of smell, it was putrid.

"I hope that Hateru-Chan has some cleaning facilities here otherwise I'm gonna have to incinerate this shirt, and I like this shirt too!" Naruto complained as he looked to the cause of his current predicament to find his daughter staring confusedly at him, making him feel like a complete and utter idiot. He walked over to her and lifted her up and into the crook of his right arm. "Come with me you, I don't trust you by yourself in here" Naruto said to the little girl who just looked around herself as she could actually see her surroundings this time.

Hateru had finally managed to regain her composure after a few of the other pastors had helped her get back onto her feet and she was sitting at her desk reading a magazine before she took a glance up and saw something that caused her brain to short circuit and completely shorted out. The man who had such a handsome face was walking towards her without even a shirt on, it seemed like that was what he was holding in his left hand but when her eyes wandered across his chest and then to his other arm another startling fact came to her mind. _Holy shit he has a kid! Who the hell was able to bag him?_ Hateru asked herself as she noticed that the man was continuing in his direction right towards her.

"Excuse me Hateru-Chan but do you have any washing facilities? Little Shina here had an accident all over my shirt and I kinda need it cleaned. Also you wouldn't happen to have an onsen or something would you, the shower is nice but I would prefer if we could have a bath instead" Naruto said to the woman who just seemed to be staring blankly at him. He half expected her not to answer him and he's have to just forget about it before she seemed to snap out of her trance.

"No, no that's ok, give me the shirt and ill have it cleaned, as for the onsen if you continue right down the corridor you room is on and take a right then go down that corridor and turn left at the end, there are towels already there" Hateru answered him as he smiled at her and handed her the soggy shirt. She either didn't notice or never even bothered to notice because it did not seem to affect her at all.

"Okay, thank you again Hateru-Chan!" Naruto said to her happily as he waved at her with his free hand and turned away to walk back up the corridor he had just come from. What Hateru found somewhat off putting was the way the small child that was being held in the man's right arm turned her head to look at her almost heatedly, it seemed almost like a challenge. Hateru shrugged it off, there was no way that the kid could have looked at her like that, and after all it was an adorable little baby.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later found Naruto back in his room feeling suitably clean and his baby girl in his arm sleeping soundly, the heat of the room must have been just right for her because not long after Naruto had cleaned her (very clumsily he might add since he had almost no clue what he was doing) she had nodded off. Naruto quickly finished cleaning himself and then picked her up before making his way to their room.<p>

Naruto could feel the effects of the bath taking over him too as he felt slightly sleepy and considered the option of a short nap. After all he had been on the road for a few days and even though they had a tent that he could keep warm, a nice soft bed to sleep on sounded almost too good to be true. With that in mind Naruto didn't even bother getting out of his towel that was wrapped around his waist and lay down on his back on the bed. He placed Shina on his chest, whom got comfortable pretty quickly and then closed his eyes to catch a few minutes of sleep.

It had been a whole hour since Mr Handsome (as she had come to call him) had went to the onsen and Hateru was wondering if he might actually still be cleaning himself. She had known some customers to like soaking in the waters for hours on end, but he had wanted to clean himself and his baby so she doubted he would have wanted to stay in those waters for long. She had to know where he was because she had prepared dinner and most of the other customers were already eating into their meals and she didn't want to leave him out, especially not his baby.

With a last glance up the hallway she decided that she would be best to go and tell him that dinner was ready. She reached under the counter and took out the key that allowed her access to every room in the inn; it would only make sense that she have access to them all as the manager and owner. As she made her way towards the room of the man she could hear the wailing of a baby and the sounds of footsteps running all over the place. Confusion set in on her and she inserted her key into the door before knocking and entering.

The sight she found was nothing short of pandemonium, there were men all around the room. Well technically there were many versions of one man, one very handsome man, on very handsome man with only a …. She had to stop looking before her nose began to betray her. The sound of wailing brought her back and she looked to the bed where the baby was wrapped in a towel too but was bawling her eyes out which was in turn causing the multiple men to look around the room desperately for something.

"What's wrong sir?" Hateru asked the men before her. Every single Naruto was taken by surprise with the sudden arrival and voice of the woman at the desk and as such all jumped back in fright and looked at her with fearful eyes before realising who it was. Hateru had to admit that if she was able to look at them long enough then the sight might have been enough to make her giggle, just her voice was able to make a fully grown group of men jump out of their skin. The main Naruto was the first to answer her as he was first to go back to looking.

"I can't find Shina's milk and I know I had it because I fed her not too long before we got here" Naruto said as he scoured over the entire room. "Although she did basically empty that all over me earlier" Naruto admitted as he held his hand to his chin and adopted a thinking expression. Hateru giggled slightly at his antics causing Naruto to look at her apologetically. "I'm sorry for the noise but I think she wants to be fed but I don't know where the milk is" Naruto said to her in a seriously apologetic tone.

"It's alright, everyone is at Dinner just now so they won't complain" Hateru assured him before a thought came to her mind. "Follow me, I'll make her some warm milk, it won't have everything that she needs but it should hopefully do for now" Hateru said to him as his face seemed to light up in happiness. (I will admit this, I'm not very intelligent on the milk that a young baby gets so I don't know what it is that has to be put in it and such, so please bear with my novice knowledge on this part).

"Thank you again Hateru-Chan!" Naruto answered with a beamer of a smile on his face that caused Hateru to blush at him once again. He was much nicer than many of the men she had known in her past, where _had_ he been all her life? All of his copies disappeared in smoke before Naruto went about picking up his discarded clothes, he picked up his black Shinobi pants and sandals before pulling on some boxers and then his pants, only then did he allow the towel to drop. _Shame, I could have seen what was hidden by that towel… although I don't know if I would be standing_ Hateru thought to herself perversely. Naruto then pulled on his sandals before he picked up the still crying child, and although her crying subsided slightly there was still some crying coming from the baby.

Hateru led them from his room and began taking them to the kitchen. It was at times like these as Hateru realised Naruto was still walking without a shirt that she was happy for the first time her washing machine took a long time.

Once they reached the kitchen Hateru went to the fridge and took out some milk, she poured some into a small pot and placed in on the hob of the kitchen. Naruto took a seat at the kitchen table and sat Shina on the table itself facing him. While he waited for Shina's food to be prepared he thought it wise to try and keep her happy until then. And to that end he began softly poking her in the belly, receiving gurgling laughter.

Hateru found the scene utterly adorable; this guy definitely had a way with kids. "You sure do know how to make that child happy" Hateru remarked to Naruto as she went about making sure the milk wouldn't get too hot. Naruto looked up after hearing her observation.

"I'm basically finding this all out as I go along" Naruto admitted to her which did cause her to stop for a moment in consideration. If that was true then it meant he was new to this and despite it being a very young baby to begin with it sounded like he was even more recent than that.

"What do you mean?" Hateru asked as she found her interest in the blond haired man increasing, there was something mysterious about him that she found almost irresistible and she just wanted to know more. Naruto smiled sadly at her question and she worried what his answer might actually be.

"I only found out about her two days ago" Naruto admitted to her which caused her eyes to widen in surprise. That was definitely a surprise; he showed a great amount of knowledge about her after just two days. Yet what had her attention most was that the way he treated her did not seem like someone who would just sleep with someone and leave without ever considering the possibility of a child. There must have been some circumstances behind it all.

Hateru would have answered but the timer she had set for the milk went off and she took it off the hob before placing it in a small container and handing it over to Naruto. He took it gratefully and with a smile, he then tested it against his arm to gauge its temperature before he nodded his head in approval. After this he placed the sucker over the top of the container and then lifted Shina into the crook of his right arm before presenting the warm milk to her. It didn't take long before she was drinking it happily and there was silence once again besides the slurping of milk being drunk.

"You already know so much about looking after her in the space of two days?" Hateru asked slightly mystified which made him look up to her once again but this time he had a warm smile on his face.

"I've had to, I'm all that she has left now" Naruto responded as he looked down to Shina who was drinking so happily now. Hateru wasn't even given the opportunity to respond before Naruto continued on. "Her mother died two days ago, her entire home was destroyed two days ago" Naruto said as he looked up at Hateru once again. "And I'm an orphan since I was barely a few hours old, so I am literally the only family she has left" Naruto finished as he looked down lovingly at the only family he had ever had before.

"But that's a good thing isn't it?" Hateru asked him once again making his eyes find hers again. "I mean at least she still has a daddy doesn't she?" Hateru asked further and that was when she saw it, a gleam that shone over his eyes as a warm smile took over his face.

"That's right, I have already promised her mother that I would bring her up so that she could have a normal life" Naruto responded to her as his eyes seemed to keep that warm quality to them. However Hateru was confused by that statement.

"What do you mean by a normal life?" Hateru asked finding herself even more intrigued, truth is told she was surprised she was getting as much as she was out of him.

"Her mother never had a normal life and she wanted her daughter to have one, she didn't want her responsibilities to be passed onto her child" Naruto responded as he noticed that Shina had finished with her milk and was happily cuddling into the warm area in the nook of Naruto's arm.

"What did her mother have to do that she didn't want her daughter to go through too?" Hateru asked wondering if she might actually cross over the line of what she could ask the man, although with his calm face and smile she didn't see anything bad coming from him.

"She was the Priestess of Demon Country" Naruto responded yet he noticed that once those words left his mouth Hateru had went almost as stiff as a board.

She couldn't believe it, there was no way that a man of such high regard was staying within her walls. If the child was definitely the daughter of the priestess then it only made more sense that it be him. In the rumours that might pass through her inn one was about the priestess and a Shinobi that were definitely close, that might even cusp upon love, then with his leaving and her finding herself pregnant only months later it only made more sense. He was The Golden Flashing Demon, Naruto Uzumaki.

"You're… you're Naruto Uzumaki aren't you?" Hateru asked barely above a whisper. Naruto cocked his head to the side at her question before he gave her his answer.

"Yeah, that's me" Naruto answered with a happy smile. He looked down to his daughter to find that she was completely asleep. With a chuckle Naruto placed the empty container down onto the kitchen table before he stood to his feet taking Hateru by surprise. "Sorry to leave you so soon but Shina is asleep and I might go and get some shut eye before I head out tomorrow, after all you have to look after your other customers' right?" Naruto asked as she had to nod at him dumbly, she had completely forgotten about everything else after she found out who he was.

Naruto quietly made his way out of the kitchen leaving Hateru in a mystified state. She couldn't believe that one of the most powerful Shinobi in the world was staying at her inn and even had a kid of his own with him. It was all so much for her to take in that she just about felt like she couldn't. Her day had gone from boring to interesting with the introduction of just one man.

Naruto made it back to his room after a few moments and done as he had earlier on after his bath, closed and locked his door, climbed onto his bed, placed Shina onto the bed at his side this time and then lay down onto his bed with his arm around Shina. Once again it took almost no time for him to fall asleep and enter into his dreams with his little girl doing the same thing right beside him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Country of Iron<strong>_

Tsunade, Shikamaru and Yamato walked into the building that was the very place that the Allied Shinobi Forces were created. As soon as they entered the building they were approached by a pair of Samurai that were assigned to the doors.

"State your name and business" one of the samurai spoke gruffly to Tsunade who looked at him up and down before giving any form of reply.

"Tsunade Senju, Godaime Hokage, Shikamaru Nara, escort and Yamato also escort" Tsunade spoke as she indicated both men as she said their names, both men also nodding when their names were spoken. Though Tsunade could not see the samurai's face the subtle nod of his head signified that he understood.

"Very well Lady Tsunade, follow me, you are the last to arrive" the samurai spoke to her before he turned around and began to walk further into the building, leaving his comrade to take up his original position at the door. Tsunade then followed with Shikamaru and Yamato not too far behind her.

After a few moments they were al lead into a room where there was a circular table with a hole in the centre. At the four seats were the four Kage with their two escorts also. Mifune, the commander of the samurai was seated at the table too with two of his best samurai behind him.

"It's about time you got here Lady Tsunade" A spoke gruffly as he crossed his arms over his chest and earned a pointed look from Tsunade after what he had said. She let it slide however because the situation it seemed would be best solved soon.

"My apologies, but what may I ask is the reason we have all been summoned here?" Tsunade asked towards where Mifune sat, since it was his name that had been on the scroll she had received. However, Mifune could only look at her blankly before he replied.

"I do not know what the reason was, I only received a scroll three days ago telling me to gather together the five Kage" Mifune answered in honesty, he didn't know why he had to, it wasn't handwriting that he knew in the past but by the rushed way that it was written and some of the content that was in it, did make him think about it very seriously and then send out the summons to the Kage.

"If it wasn't you who summoned us here then who was it?" Mei asked which all others nodded their heads at, if it wasn't Mifune then who could it possibly be that would need to summon them al together.

"It was me" a voice called out and caused all pairs of eyes to widen in shock. No-one had expected to hear that voice and definitely not here of all places. They all looked to the direction that the voice had come from which happened to be behind Mifune. As he himself turned around he found the owner of the voice the person walked out from behind him.

"Naruto!" Tsunade called out in shock. One part of it was because of the fact that Naruto was claiming that he had brought them all together. The other was however the fact that he was holding onto a baby in his arms, had Kakashi been right after all?

"Yes it was me, I have some news that I know you will all have to hear" Naruto spoke in a serious tone, this caught the attention of all in the room as they prepared themselves for what it might be that Naruto said.

* * *

><p><em>Well here you guys go, I hope that you like this chapter, if you don't then I do apologise but soon enough I will begin with the Naruto x Ino moments that will start bringing them closer together. Since I know that there is quite a bit of time jumping in this chapter I do apologise for the confusion I may have created and will try to explain it better with the later half of the story with the next chapter. <em>

_Also to answer Minstrel Savant when I was writing the entire fight scene and came to the time to name him all that was running through my head was actually his name, but I didn't want to just write down his name obviously._

_Anyway as always could you leave a review or favourite or subscribe to my story because knowing that I got people who love my story just make me want to keep on writing it, anyway until next time =] - Varrukh_


	17. Chapter 17 An Old Client

The room had been silent ever since he had entered. The only noise that pervaded the silence of all those in the room was the steady breathing of the child in Naruto's arms. He gave everyone a steady look as he reached the middle of the room, in full view of everyone. Most of the women in the room looked to the child in Naruto's arms with an almost jealous envy, wondering just who the mother was.

"What is the meaning of this Uzumaki-san?" Mifune asked from his seat where behind him both of his guards were slightly worried that Naruto had been so easily able to elude them and appear right behind them so suddenly. Naruto turned around to look at the legendary samurai to find his calm gaze being reflected right back at him, he half wondered if his news would surprise the man.

"There is a matter that came up that I had to bring to the attention of everyone present" Naruto responded in a very calm and serious manner. Tsunade could already hear the alarm bells ringing loudly in her head due to the way that Naruto was acting. There was something very important that he had to tell them and although she didn't doubt him, his serious manner drove the point home best.

The silence that followed what Naruto had said made all in the room uncomfortable, they really did hate the change in the blonde haired man. His maturity had killed off his more childlike ways.

"Well spit it out boy! We have villages to run" Onoki snapped at Naruto none too kindly. The tone did not seem to affect Naruto at all and Tsunade was about to say something before she was cut off by Naruto talking again.

"Very well I shall give my mission report" Naruto responded to them all. He looked down to Shina to make sure that she was still asleep despite the Tsuchikage's raised voice a moment ago, finding her still silently snoozing with a small smile he smiled also before looking up.

"I was requested for a suppression mission in the Land of Demons a week ago which upon completion I was to then report in to the Priestess" Naruto began looking to Tsunade who nodded her head in confirmation, what he had spoken thus far she had known to be true.

"Once I reached the palace, which was where the problems began" Naruto continued on causing Tsunade to sit up in her seat, she was interested now and upon looking at the other Kage she could also see their interest rising too. "When I reached the palace, it was under attack" Naruto finished which took all of the Kage by surprise, they had not believed anyone to truly hold a grudge against those of Demon country, they simply kept themselves to themselves.

"I entered the palace and went straight to the Priestess' room to find her very weak and ill, there she told me that her daughter had been stolen from her" Naruto continued on, while Tsunade and Mei wondered just how Naruto knew where the Priestess' room was there were more important things to be thinking about. "After that I extracted her from the building and got her to a safe place, I then left her with a clone to go and find her daughter" Naruto continued on, this was the bit he was least proud of and knew it was the bit they had to hear though.

"After finding the camp she was hidden in I released the full power of the nine-tails on all in the camp" Naruto spoke as he could see the widened eyes of all the Kage, he had a feeling they would look like that, especially after their concerns about his wellbeing not too long before he had come here.

"This piece of information is the reason that I have brought you all here once again, to where you agreed about the Allied Shinobi Forces prior to the Fourth Shinobi War" Naruto said as he took in one final breath before he spoke the words that he knew would change everything.

"With the full power of the nine-tails released there was a Shinobi that was able to keep up with me in that form and also in my human form, upon landing a hit on him I regained Shina and he left with a final remark" Naruto summed up as he looked down at his young daughter, so young and already one of the centre pieces of what had happened. "He declared war" Naruto finished which caused every single Kage to get to their feet at the same time.

"You must be kidding!" A roared from where he stood with his eyes wide in complete shock. At the sudden high volume of noise Shina awoke from her sleep and began to cry at the sudden interruption of the wonderful slumber. "We barely made it out of one war and you are already plunging us into another!" A roared at Naruto, not even caring about the fact his loud voice was scaring Shina. Naruto was trying his hardest to soothe Shina and calm her down. "ANSWER ME UZUMAKI!" A thundered onwards.

A thunderclap later found Naruto with his right hand clamped around A's throat, a murderous growl leaving his mouth and his purple eyes with concentric circles and tomoe shining dangerously. So surprised were everyone in the room – including A – they could not move or react fast enough, even Killer Bee and the other cloud nin were too slow to react.

"Stop with your fucking shouting, you're scaring Shina" Naruto spoke lowly to A in a way that only he and Onoki could understand. It was the way that someone protects their own blood. Such anger, such need to protect was brought on by that basic principle.

"Naruto!" Tsunade called to the blonde haired man who had yet to release the Raikage; upon hearing his name called he turned his head and released the Raikage from his grip, leaving a hand mark imprinted into his skin. A rubbed the area that was slightly painful still and turned towards the door.

"I will not be treated in such a manner by a brat! You can forget about any assistance from Cloud!" A shouted over his shoulder as he made his way out of the room, his cloud nin close behind him, the only one of the three that had remained was Killer Bee. Most in the room expected him to do something or to bid them goodbye. "Sorry Naruto-Bro" was all he said soberly before he too followed in the footsteps of his brother and walked out of the room.

Naruto watched them all go through sorrow filled eyes, he had overreacted he knew that and he had damaged something very important over a personal matter. He looked down at Shina who was still whimpering softly, he placed his index finger along the side of her cheek and stroked it gently, causing her eyes to close slowly, her hands also encasing around his finger at the same time.

"That could have been a lot messier!" Onoki commented almost cheerfully from his seat to Naruto's right causing Naruto to look up at him only to see Onoki smiling at him in that knowing manner.

"I would personally like to know exactly why you acted in such a manner towards a Kage" Naruto heard a voice call out which he knew was Gaara's, upon bringing his eyes over to the red-haired man he did not see anger or disappointment in his eyes only wonderment.

"I doubt that any of you would understand it" Onoki spoke up once again as he sat back into his chair crossing his arms as he done so, aware that all eyes would be directed upon him now. He smiled again before he continued. "We act in mysterious ways for those we love, especially family" Onoki explained as Mei's eyes widened in surprise alongside Chojuro and Ao, Temari and Kankuro were the same with Gaara only staring on emotionlessly as usual.

Tsunade turned around to look at Shikamaru who was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed and a knowing smile on his face. "You knew this didn't you?" Tsunade asked him quietly as he simply opened his eyes and looked at her with his smile still in place.

"Of course, he gave it away when he said he released the full power of the nine-tails in a camp, I highly doubt he would need to do that in a camp at all, he could have located her and took her back without anyone knowing" Shikamaru answered as he then looked at Naruto who was looking at Shina at the same time. "Someone knew how to get to him, how to get him riled up so that he would be angry and wild, so that they would know when he attacked, this was planned" Shikamaru finished as Tsunade looked at him with a troubled expression before she looked at Naruto again, just in time to hear him being quizzed.

"Is that baby really yours?" Mei asked half hoping it wasn't and half wishing to meet the woman that was able to bed the man. Naruto looked at her before looking down at Shina and smiling. It was such a warm and loving smile that made Tsunade's heart miss a beat, she hadn't seen a look like that on his face in years.

"Yes she is my little Hime, Shina Uzumaki" Naruto responded warmly as he looked at his daughter. Shikamaru took in the information and sadly stored it away, he didn't know how Ino would take this piece of information, he only hoped that she was able to take it well, otherwise she might get hurt. While he was loathe letting anyone hurt Ino he could not find fault with Naruto, the time period of conception and his return added up and it was all before Ino had started having feelings for him.

Tsunade and Yamato on the other hand were completely flabbergasted, for Naruto to have a child had been a possibility in their minds of course but for it to be a reality was really something that was quite hard to swallow. They had not thought much of it but now would be the time to see how he would measure up as a father, despite having no knowledge to take anything from, having no parents of his own.

"I think we are getting away from the main focus of this meeting" Onoki spoke loudly to everyone in the room causing all eyes to be centred on him. "Despite the absence of the Raikage I believe we should debate on our actions after war has been declared once again" Onoki finished making everyone in the room nod their heads, they would catch up about Naruto and his daughter soon enough.

"Thank you Tsuchikage-dono. Now what was it that you were told exactly?" Mifune asked Naruto who turned to the legendary samurai before giving his answer.

* * *

><p>Ino walked into the Hokage's office with her team and came face to face with one of the few teachers that she had grown up with from her days as a Genin. Kakashi smiled at her with his patented eye-smile as she and her team entered the room.<p>

"Ah, Ino-San I take it you are here for a mission for you and your team?" Kakashi asked pleasantly. Ino could not help but notice how well Kakashi had fit into the role, ever since the pressing matters had taken Tsunade, Shikamaru and Yamato away Kakashi had been acting-Hokage and he had taken to it like a fish to water. It was almost like he was born for the role of Hokage.

"Yes Sensei, I think we should get out once again since we have been training for a while and not been out on a mission in that time, so I wish to make sure my students are all kept in tip top condition" Ino answered dutifully, it still felt strange to see Kakashi as more than a teacher but the stand-in protector for the entire village, but she tried her best.

"That's why we should go on a higher ranked mission!" Noma suddenly shouted out from her position to Ino's side. Ino's eyes widened in horror at that moment, she had not anticipated Noma shouting out like that and towards a person of the highest level of power in the village too. She was about to turn around and scold Noma for speaking like that to the Hokage until she heard a soft laughter from Kakashi and opted to look at him instead.

"I wouldn't worry about that Ino-San, I stood in your very shoes almost nine years ago with one of my very own students" Kakashi spoke happily. "So I will say to you what I was asked back then, do you think your team are capable of completing a C-rank mission?" Kakashi asked Ino both seriously and also ironically, he remembered the outcome of the mission he had said his team could complete easily.

Ino looked over all of her students- noting the interested gazes she was receiving from them all- while there was a part of her that knew they were more than ready for the transition there was also that other nagging part of her mind that didn't want to put them into too much danger. They were like her little family, she didn't want to see any of them hurt but try however she might she knew that they were indeed ready for the step up to the next level.

"Yes, I know that they are capable of handling a C-ranked mission" Ino answered him confidently making the faces of all the girls brighten up at her words and beam at her with a mixture of happiness and pride at their teachers trust in their ability. Kakashi also smiled at her decision, seeing his own reflected in her thinking over those few moments.

He had gone through the same thing when deciding whether or not to allow his team to progress forward. He knew that his team was weak and the teamwork he had tried to dig into their brain may have been wearing off and hoped a C-rank might show them the true value of teamwork and camaraderie. He didn't quite expect that they would have to face off against one of the Seven Deadly Swordsmen and Demon of the Hidden Mist Zabuza Momochi but other than that his plan seemed to go well.

Kakashi then looked through the files that had been submitted at the C-rank level and found one he believed would be easy enough for Ino and the girls to complete on their first attempt at a C-rank. The nostalgia started when he read that it was an escort mission, when his eyes trailed down to the name of the applicant his mind went blank except one question. _You're kidding me right?_

Just as he had that thought the door opened and the object of his thoughts entered the room alongside a much younger version of him. "It has been a while Kakashi! To think that the last time I saw you there were three brats around you and you were their teacher. Now look at you the Hokage of the village and everything!" Tazuna exclaimed happily to which the seventeen year old boy to his left also smiled in happiness for the old acquaintance.

"It has indeed been a while, I do not mean to be rude but you have applied for the correct level of mission this time? I won't be sending out Shinobi that are ill-equipped for the task at hand?" Kakashi asked, remembering the last time the same man had applied for a C-ranked mission only it had eventually ended up as basically an A-ranked mission by the end of it. Tazuna smiled at Kakashi reassuringly at the question.

"No, while there are still some of Gatou's thugs after my head the small splinter cells that they are made up of don't have enough money to get any real high calibre people after me, your Shinobi will be fine" Tazuna replied honestly and with the lack of any alcoholic aroma coming from the man Kakashi decided that he might actually be telling the truth this time.

"Don't worry Kakashi-sensei my grandfather learned his lesson from last time and from what my sources have told me, the only way the separate groups would become any threat would be if they put aside their differences and work together, which from what I've been told is impossible" Inari spoke for the first time since entering the room. It was only when Inari had spoken that Noma caught herself staring at him very intensely and blushed madly at the very thought of it, she turned away from looking at him but not before Ino saw it and smiled to herself at the predicament of her cute little student.

"Wait, you have sources?" Kakashi asked the young boy rather incredulously which received him an embarrassed look from Inari and when he turned to look at his grandfather the man simply shrugged his shoulder at Kakashi's question.

"What can I say? The boy is well connected and on all the different jobs we've done all over the world he has met many people and created quite the intricate information web, quite ingenious if you ask me" Tazuna answered proudly at the intelligence his grandson exhibited and Inari himself rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment again, he was new to the receiving of praise. It wasn't exactly hard, all he did was talk to everyone and anyone and soon enough he could learn almost anything from the different friends he had made.

"Indeed it is, if you ever think about moving and feel like this is the place for you, let me know, I can't tell you how invaluable your information gathering could be" Kakashi said to the teen honestly, said teen looked to his grandfather before looking at Kakashi again.

"I'll hold you to that Kakashi-Sensei" Inari spoke after considering the proposal for a moment, Noma couldn't help but fantasize about the possibilities if he did actually end up staying in Konoha, the smile on her face indicated she would like the outcome at least.

"Very well" Kakashi finished. He then looked over Ino and her team and could see them all paying attention to him, well at least besides one who was stealing furtive glances at the seventeen year old boy. "This shall be the team that will escort you Tazuna, and before you can begin to complain they are all very well trained Shinobi, Ino-San here doesn't slack off and Naruto has also taught them a thing or two" Kakashi spoke with a smile. Both Tazuna and Inari looked at Kakashi inquisitively.

"You mean Naruto-Nii?" Inari asked while Tazuna simply stood and waited for the answer to come from Kakashi. They had both heard that after the Great Shinobi War had finished Naruto basically went rogue and was only seen around the world every once in a while. At Kakashi's nod Inari probed even further. "Where is he? Is he home yet? Is he still out on his own?" Inari asked quickly.

"Do not worry Naruto has been home and is currently on a mission, if my guess is correct then he should be on his way home just now" Kakashi answered him casually and noticed the worried expression that Inari had waned at the information. He was obviously worried about the boy who had saved him and his village all those years ago.

Ino was also happy with that piece of positive information, if he was on his way home then perhaps he would be home when she returned from her own mission, then she could spend more time with him.

"Now if that is all, I have other missions that I must give out and paperwork that has to be done" Kakashi pointed out politely to which everyone in the room nodded their heads in understanding.

"Okay girls, we meet at the front gates in 20 minutes" Ino commanded her team at which Hiku and Kyoki responded with quick 'yeses' and sped out of the room towards their own homes while Ino and Noma casually walked out of the door. "If you would please meet us there in that time Tazuna-san, Inari-san" Ino asked politely with a smile before leaving the room with Noma whose smile lingered on Inari just a second longer than necessary.

Tazuna turned to Kakashi once Ino had left the room with a smile on his face. "Wow Kakashi, if I had known that Konoha had such beautiful women I would have come here long ago" Tazuna joked to Kakashi causing the scarecrow to visibly chuckle too. Inari simply rolled his eyes at the innuendo his grandfather had made.

"I'm afraid you would find no luck with that beauty Tazuna-san" Kakashi answered casually causing Tazuna's eyes to rise slightly alongside his grandson's.

"Is that so Kakashi? I never took you for one who enjoyed his partners to be younger than you" Tazuna stated to the stand-in Hokage who frantically began waving his arms in front of his face.

"No no no, you have me all wrong, I am afraid that young Ino-san is actually rather smitten with someone" Kakashi answered finally to a laughing Tazuna.

"I was only joking Kakashi, I'm actually more surprised that one quite as beautiful as her is still single, surely she has had many suitors?" Tazuna asked to which he only received some shrugged shoulders from Kakashi.

"It is not an area that I have been deeply involved in and even with my small time in this position, it isn't something that passes through the Hokage, it is more of a family and personal business" Kakashi admitted to the veteran bridge builder. Seemingly satisfied with his answer Tazuna nodded his head.

"Very well, until the next time we meet Kakashi" Tazuna said as he made a short bow to Kakashi which Inari mirrored.

"I hope to see you both again soon, remember that my offer to stay here is open anytime, I shall be Hokage officially soon enough and I can give you and your daughter a place to stay here, with Inari of course" Kakashi said with an eye smile directed at the young boy.

"We will think on it Kakashi, goodbye for now" Tazuna spoke officially as he made his way out of the Hokage office and towards the front gates where his guards would be waiting for him by now.

* * *

><p>Kakashi watched him go with a smile. It had been so nostalgic to see Tazuna again, it reminded Kakashi of a time when he was the teacher of 'three' students who were at the time still green as grass but had potential. Look at what they had all turned into.<p>

One of them had gone down the path of darkness of course but he had taken Kakashi's own technique and made it his own, he had advanced through the Sharingan at an explosive rate and had in the end aided in the destruction of Tobi.

Sakura had gone from being the weakest in the team to one of the most important members of any team she was in. Where in the past she wasn't capable of fighting to help her teammates, now she was the most important member in charge of making sure everyone were healed. She was second only to Tsunade and Shizune in her proficiency in healing jutsu and second only to Tsunade in her superhuman strength.

And Naruto, well he had come from the dead last in the academy to the saviour of the entire world. He had been through a life from Hell and was still able to see the light side in everything, not once giving into the endless hate he could have unleashed onto the world. Kakashi was proud of his team, despite what Sasuke had done in the end he had tried to redeem himself and had paid the greatest price for it. Kakashi felt a solitary happy tear slide out of his normal eye.

The door to his office opened and revealed Shizune with a pile of paperwork; Kakashi wiped away his lone tear before Shizune could worry and adorned his usual happy eye-smile for her as she entered the room. "Hello Shizune-san, how are you today?" Kakashi asked pleasantly.

Shizune placed the paper all onto Kakashi's desk before she gave any reply, smiling at him as she gave it. "I am very good today thank you" She answered him happily before looking at the pile she had just dropped off. "This is all of the paperwork for today sir, please do it before the end of the night" Shizune asked sincerely as she kept on smiling.

"Okay, no problem Shizune-san" Kakashi answered her quickly, causing Shizune to take a double take on him; she had never had a conversation on paperwork that had been resolved so quickly. Looking at Kakashi she could see the sincerity in his eye and could not help but feel that he was being honest with her.

"Do you promise? I won't come in and find it burnt up or just discarded somewhere else?" Shizune asked sceptically as Kakashi sweat dropped at her questions, he had a clue as to why she was asking him these questions.

"Yep I promise, after all I know the trick to do paperwork anyway" Kakashi spoke as he leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind the back of his head. Upon looking at Shizune's face and recognising the questioning look he brought his right hand forward and clicked his fingers. Four other Kakashi's instantly appeared in a cloud of smoke. "Kage Bunshin's" Kakashi finished feeling satisfied when he saw the smile that graced Shizune's face at his answer.

"Very well sir, please drop these off on my desk once you are done" Shizune said to him with a smile before she turned and walked out of the Hokage's office. Kakashi found he was slightly caught in that smile of hers. Ever since taking the office of Hokage for Tsunade a few days ago he had seen a side of Shizune he had never seen before. The main cause being that she was his assistant and he saw her every day, but he wouldn't deny that he enjoyed her company, he much more enjoyed seeing her smile, it made him happy too. And as she made her way out of the office Kakashi wondered why he had never seen her backside move like that before.

His Shinobi training must have been out slightly because when Shizune turned to close the door she could see where Kakashi's lone eye was trained, with a smirk of realisation Shizune slapped her backside with her right hand which caused Kakashi's eyes to shoot up to meet hers to which she only winked to him in return before closing the door behind her.

The one thing that was running through Kakashi's mind at that time was: Busted. Although he could not help but think that it was all bad, after all she had winked at him.

* * *

><p>It had been a couple of hours since they had left Konoha; their travel had been peaceful and quiet so far with little amounts of conversation on the way. Most of it had come from her team asking her questions about the place they were going to and the land outside of their village, having never been out of their home before.<p>

Tazuna chuckled as the string of questions continued on. "You know I remember the last time I made this travel with a team from Konoha, those brats were green as grass as far as I knew, but they sure could hold their own despite their inexperience" Tazuna spoke to Ino who was walking beside him by now, she smiled at the amused look on the older man's face. After seeing her smile Tazuna was still wondering who the hell it was that she was after, with her looks and what little he knew of her personality she was a lovely girl.

"What was dad like when he was younger?" the inquisitive voice of Noma cut across behind Ino and Tazuna. Ino looked behind her to see the interested face of her student and after looking at the other two she could see their interest on the subject was at the same level. Inwardly Ino smiled, Naruto had such a profound part in her team already.

Ino turned to ask Tazuna which one of them should answer only to find his mouth hanging open and at looking at Inari could see his mouth hanging too. "That brat has a kid!" Tazuna exclaimed as he looked at the girl who had spoken, he looked to Ino again to find her looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"It may not be by birth but she is legally Uzumaki Noma" Ino answered him casually and as Tazuna looked to the girl in question she smiled brightly and nodded her head at him. it took a few moments for the information to register in Tazuna's brain, the little blonde haired kid that had been such a brat back in those days was already a father, given that he was an adoptive father, but still a father at such a young age?

"To answer your question though, when Naruto-Kun was young he was…" Ino began but started to struggle finding the words, Naruto was lots of things when he was younger and obviously so much more as he had grown up. Thus finding the right words to describe him was tricky.

"A hyperactive, crazy and brave knucklehead" Tazuna supplied to which Ino smiled at, he did hit the nail on the head with that description of when Naruto was young. "He was a hero" Inari then went on to add in himself at which again Ino agreed, Naruto had become a hero many times over for those that he cared about, his biggest achievement being the end of the war.

"I got to say though, that kid although young had much more on his shoulders than anyone else that age" Tazuna spoke as he smiled thinking about the young boy. "The way he got through everything and just put a smile on his face despite everything against him was amazing, I don't know many people that have mental strength anything like that" Tazuna continued on making Ino remember a time where she could never see through his façade, he had done well in creating it after all. Tazuna stopped in the middle of the road and turned to the girls coming up behind him.

"If you truly want to know what your father was like when he was young then I would say that he was the bravest, kindest and most considerate Shinobi I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, his will was the strongest I have ever seen" Tazuna spoke seriously to the girls as the stopped before him, making Ino stop and turn around as well as Inari beside her now.

As Tazuna went on to explain the confrontation of Team 7 and the Demon of the Hidden Mist Ino and Inari were left off to the side to watch the conversation, already knowing the story. As Tazuna continued his story Inari began to lean in closer to Ino. "So tell me, did Naruto-Nii ever manage to make it with Sakura?" Inari asked quietly so that only Ino could hear. She felt a chill rise up her spine at the insinuation of Naruto and Sakura ever being together, although she had a feeling that if he were so inclined still then it could still happen.

"No, at least not to my knowledge" Ino answered back evenly, hoping she managed to cover her tracks well, she hated allowing her emotion to run rampant. Inari seemed to nod in understanding. "I didn't think so, she never seemed all that interested in him, mostly Sasuke, although I had a feeling that Naruto might have been able to do it if he persevered" Inari concluded to himself. He missed the way in which Ino's jaws tightened slightly before she relaxed again and nodded her head.

"What about you?" Inari asked bluntly as he stared at her. Ino was taken aback by the sudden question. She knew she was caught now, or perhaps she wasn't, after all Shinobi were well known for their deception.

"No, Naruto-Kun and I have never been together" Ino answered him back calmly. "Actually, I have never heard of him being with any woman at all, at least not any from Konoha and I don't think he knows many other women that well" Ino answered him still evenly to which Inari nodded his head at.

"Well I suppose he hasn't been home long enough to get settled in, or maybe he isn't interested just now" Inari surmised to himself, unaware that the words he had spoken were what Ino had known. Of course Naruto would not be looking for anyone to enter a relationship with, after what he had been through and what he had seen, he would surely need some time to fully readjust to village life. Then he could possibly start considering a relationship with someone, and Ino was going to do all in her power to make sure it was her.

After Tazuna had finished his explanation to the three girls and left three awestruck girls in his wake he made his way to the front again.

"My dad is awesome!" Noma exclaimed at the top of her voice after standing silently for a few seconds, causing her squad mates to come out of their stupor. Her shout had also caught the attention of Inari who looked at her, it was only too late that she noticed this and at that her face began to heat up and the blush on her face.

"That he is" Ino smiled happily to herself, causing Tazuna to glance at her sideways, while he had seen her smiling before and it was radiant, there was something about her smile just then that betrayed more about her.

Just at that moment Hiku's eyes widened. "Drop to the ground!" she screamed at the top of her voice, tackling Noma to the ground while Ino grabbed Tazuna and Kyoki done the same with Inari. Barely a second after they had all hit the deck a large sword skimmed over their heads and became embedded into a tree that was only a short distance down the road from them. Tazuna's eyes widened in surprise, it was happening all over again.

Only this time there was no Shinobi that landed on the sword still embedded in the tree, instead this time there was a puddle of water moving up the side of the tree, which was until it reached the sword and then an arm extended out of the water and grabbed onto the handle. Following the arm came the rest of the body which then sat on the sword that was embedded in the tree. It was a man that sat on the weapon, he had white mid-length hair a white t-shirt and black pants. He sat on the large sword that looked oddly familiar to Ino and only too familiar to Tazuna.

The man on the sword grinned down at the ensemble of Shinobi before him. "So… you got any idea where I can find this father of yours, he sounds like fun" the man spoke with his grin never once leaving his face.

Ino was on her feet in an instant and ready, she was confused as to whom this person was but by their actions it was clear that they were hostile. "Alright, everyone form up! Protect Tazuna and Inari-san" Ino called out to her team who done exactly as they had been told. Hiku had already activated her Byakugan and Noma and Kyoki were running through hand signs.

"Oh, so I gotta go through you guys before I get to him?" the man asked them plainly before jumping and dislodging the sword from the tree, landing on the ground right in front of them. "Let's go then" the man spoke lowly.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Well here you guys go, I apologise if the chapter is both short and crappy, in short I have had a couple of problems that have prevented me from updating this and Hollow Kingdom, for that I apologise for the delay and shall try to get my update for Hollow Kingdom up soon too. So if you guys could bear with me until I get back into the stride again that'd be helpful=] as usual if you could review that would be nice =] - Varrukh<strong>_


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